The Bargain
by thewobbler
Summary: Modern Day AU. She was in this to prove that she was strong enough. He was in this to get his beloved back in his arms. Really, denial ain't just a river in Egypt.
1. A Hard Day's Night

**Author's Note: **Yes, yet another story from my recently very active imagination. From the summary and the title, I'm assuming you guys all know where this'll be headed. Still, I couldn't help but want to write it since I want to have a fun story to enjoy writing.

I hope you all like it!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rurouni Kenshin nor any of its characters

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><p><strong>The Bargain<br>A Hard Day's Night**

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><p><em>It's been a hard day's night<br>I should be sleeping like a log_

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><p><strong>November<strong>

"Seriously, Kenshin. You're starting to make me sick here with all of the moping you're doing. Man up, will 'ya?" Sano growled in frustration as he watched his best friend drink yet another bottle of beer.

It was a cold winter's night and it's been two months since he's had to live with a mostly silent and morose Kenshin Himura—his redheaded friend of two years who was recently dumped by his girlfriend, Tomoe Yukishiro. It was pathetic, really, to see someone so messed up after being in a relationship with someone else for a measly two years. Well, in Sano's eyes, it was. He was never really one for melodramatics and other pansy ass antics. It was just his luck that the man beside him _is _such a person and that he felt like it was his responsibility to knock some sense into the guy.

"I'm not asking you to stay, Sanosuke. You can go home anytime you want." Kenshin replied calmly.

Sano scoffed. "And what? Leave you here to get all smashed up before some stranger brings you to your apartment? Are you stupid?"

The redhead didn't deem his interrogation important enough to reply, instead opting to take a large gulp of his cold beer. He'd really rather be drinking scotch, but he felt like a change of taste would do him some good.

He didn't—couldn't—understand what happened between him and Tomoe. They had a perfect relationship, and they were both very much in love ever since their fifth date two years ago. He knew she wasn't the type to cheat and she's always been very honest with her feelings towards him. The break-up was completely out of the blue, and despite his relentless pursuit to get her to talk to him again, she had not bothered to reply.

Their separation left him feeling lost and mightily confused. Every day, he replayed their relationship again and again in his head but he still couldn't understand where things started to go wrong between them. She never acted like anything was out of place, and as far as he knew, they weren't even experiencing a rocky patch in their relationship.

Tomoe Yukishiro is one of the most perfect women he had ever met in his twenty-three years of living. She was refined, kind, gentle, and unbelievably loving towards everyone around her—even the ones who weren't deserving of her affections. Her angelic beauty was what attracted him to her, but it was her personality that made him want to stay. It was true that their relationship was going so well that other people—his best friend, mostly—found it predictable, but he didn't care. Yes, they weren't very much into surprises and spontaneity like the other couples he knew, but to him, it didn't matter. They were stable and in love and he was sure that not a lot of college students could claim to have that.

As the captain of their university's kendo team, he wasn't half-bad himself. He has his fair share of admirers, but he only had eyes for one person. Still, he was gentle and kind whenever he would have to turn down a particularly persistent woman. It just wasn't in his nature to be callous and arrogant despite what Sano keeps telling him to be. Besides, he didn't understand what his female colleagues found so fascinating about him. He didn't think it was his appearance that drew them to him. After all, his long red hair wasn't really something that he thought people would find attractive. His violet eyes were strange, but not enough to get girls to go to such lengths to try to attract him. His tanned skin gave him a healthy glow, but the cross-shaped scar that marred his left cheek should've ruined any fantasies that they must've held. Although Tomoe did say that it made him look handsome and roguish.

He sighed when he remembered his ex-girlfriend again and took another swig of his beer. He was in such a funk and he felt it was reasonable for him to be feeling this way. After all, he really, truly, believed that Tomoe was the one for him; and the fact that she didn't think so crushed him so badly that he was left spiraling down in his own world of misery and memories of the good days.

"Don't tell me you're thinking about that bitch again." Sano said harshly.

Kenshin glared at his companion and fought the urge to hit him. Aggression and violence would not solve anything, and Tomoe would frown upon him if she finds out that he hurt somebody else. "Don't call her that."

"What?" Sano shrugged. "It's true. I mean, who breaks up with someone with 'it's not you it's me' these days? Lying skanks, that's who."

"She is _not _a liar, Sanosuke. Nor is she a skank. Stop talking about her like that."

"Fine. Whatever." The tall co-captain scoffed. "I just don't really see what you saw in her. She was cold as ice and way too perfect—the type that has a load of issues loaded up in that head'a hers."

"We _all _have issues we have to deal with, and we _all _have secrets we'd like to keep. She's not any different than the rest of us."

"Exactly!" Sano exclaimed, finally happy to have something that he could use to reason with his morose friend. "You put her so high up on that pedestal a'yours 'ya don't even notice her bad side. I'm tellin' 'ya Kenshin, she ain't that sweet and friendly. That's just what she _wants _'ya to think."

"If marring her image in my head is all you're going to do tonight, Sanosuke, then I suggest you just go home and leave me be."

"'Ya wanna know what I think?"

"No."

Sano continued, ignoring the half-hearted response of the redhead beside him. "_I _think she broke up with 'ya when 'ya told her 'ya wanted to shift majors. 'Ya were all fine and dandy when 'ya were in the business program—all set to take over your uncle's company and all that. I saw her flinch when 'ya told her 'ya wanted to shift to medicine. I swear I did!"

Kenshin scoffed. "How could you have seen her flinch? You weren't even there."

"Yeah, well I _felt _it. Didn't 'ya notice how cold she's been ever since 'ya made that announcement 'a yours?"

"She's not that shallow, Sanosuke. She wouldn't do anything like that. She's in the medical program herself, so how can you think she'll be biased against me wanting to become a doctor too?"

"Whatever. There's just no reasoning with 'ya when you're in one of your funks."

Since the redhead didn't bother to reply and since the tall business major was getting frustrated with trying to get his friend to see things from an outsider's point of view, the two fell silent as they drank their own bottles of beer. Despite the temperature of that night, they both believed that there was nothing better than a bottle of Corona to get their nerves to calm down and warm their otherwise freezing bodies.

The bar was quite lively that night, mostly because their midterm exams just finished and there were a lot of students who were dying to celebrate surviving yet another round of the deadly tests. There was an array of cliques present in the dim establishment, and the tall bar stools that they occupied by the bar gave them the perfect view of the entrance door—a position that Sano scrambled to get in the hopes of finding another unsuspecting young student that he could charm his way into bringing her to his own apartment in the same building as Kenshin's.

He was surprised to find that even the students from the performing arts department of the university were also taking part in the celebrations. Usually, they were too busy practicing or doing whatever it is that they were doing in those studios of theirs to actually leave their art-filled holes and act like normal people. He had to admit that they seemed like an interesting bunch of people. Despite the rambunctious behavior going on around them, the way they were all acting screamed of grace and poise—and that made Sano grimace since he was a firm believer of physical strength and none of those ninny moves that he had once witnessed when he tried watching a holiday recital that he was forced to attend because the woman he was dating at the time was friends with the violinist who was part of the orchestra that was playing for the event.

'_Speaking of… I wouldn't mind going back to that fox. She was pretty hot.' _He thought excitedly.

Besides, in the brief three months that he dated the usually stiff Megumi Takani, he found that he had grown rather fond of her friends—even though they couldn't be classified as the type of people that would hang around with his usual crowd. He remembered the highly energetic ballerina dancer—Misao, he thinks her name was, and how despite her petite size, she almost always bubbled away with energy and a _lot _of words that didn't permit them a moment of solitude from the countless stories that she told. It was really ironic how that girl would choose to pine over the stoic pianist who acted like he had a huge pole up in his ass. They've only interacted for a total of three times and gods be damned but the man didn't even bother to speak a word to him except for a measly "Can you pass me the salt please?"

He chuckled at the memory and thought more of the strange company that the girl he used to date kept. Suddenly, his head was filled with the clear vision of Kaoru Kamiya—the violinist whom he had met after the blasted holiday recital that they attended. The woman was beautiful, but she didn't possess the type of beauty that would make heads turn if you saw her walking down the street. Her raven black hair contrasted nicely with her milky skin, and she had the bluest eyes that he'd ever seen before.

He didn't mind hanging out with her because of her wit and warmth—two things that the redhead's ex-girlfriend didn't possess. Even the silences he found himself engulfed in whenever Megumi would have to leave the two of them alone weren't awkward. The woman was gentle, but at the same time, she was a no-bullshit type of person—a fact that was proven by the number of bumps that she had given him whenever he would take his teasing a bit too far. She was smart, and she just had this weird ability to emit a certain feeling of homeliness that even he enjoyed very much. On top of all that, god that woman was talented with the instrument that she played. Once, after his relentless teasing of her being nothing but a back-up instrument when it came to playing with the orchestra, she took up his challenge and played a beautiful rendition of Pachelbel's Canon in D Major. He wasn't really a fan of classical music and he blatantly refuses to admit that he enjoyed her performance greatly—but by gods he was impressed with the way she played those strings. It went far beyond what he usually heard, and sometimes he'd replay the performance in his head to help him go to sleep—again, not that he'd ever admit that to anyone. He had a reputation to keep, after all.

It was that reputation that made him stop dating the interesting woman with the odd crowd. He was known to be a playboy—someone who believed that college relationships had to end after the third month to prevent himself from experiencing the drama that usually came after that. Besides, he reveled in the fact that women were attracted to his aloof nature because all of them believed that they could be the woman who would _change _him. Not that he wanted to be changed.

Still, though, he was surprised to find that the break-up didn't go as badly as he thought it would. Apparently, the foxy woman knew what she was getting into and her going through with the three-month relationship was a challenge that was issued by her friends. He'd be offended, but he liked the fact that the challenge would mean that they would still be in amiable terms. In fact, there would be days when he'd be invited by the little group to join their Friday nights in Kaoru's rather spacey apartment—a place that emitted the same amount of homeliness that his own "bachelor pad" lacked.

"What the hell are _you _smiling about?" Kenshin asked darkly, thus interrupting his cheery thoughts.

"Just because you're miserable doesn't mean that I have to be too, you selfish pig." Sano growled. "Are 'ya done wallowing yet? Or do 'ya need more booze to drown yourself in your sorrows?"

Sighing, his friend replied. "Just a couple more and I'll be done. Really though, you can go if you want. I'm not going to get too drunk and I can get home by myself. It's just a few blocks from here."

"Shut up. Just shut up and finish those drinks 'a yours. I could use a couple more myself, and because of my loyalty to your pathetic ass, you're paying for my beers."

"I thought so. I knew there was a reason you keep hanging around me." Kenshin chuckled.

"Yeah, well, we all gotta give and take. I've been giving you my charming company so it's only fair that _you _give me my drinks."

"Fine. Whatever."

Sano chuckled at his friend's lack of willingness to refuse his demand and went right back to watching the people around him. He saw the entrance door open and his eyes brightened when he recognized a familiar head of raven black hair. She was busy trying to untangle her scarf from her neck, but he could recognize that figure anywhere.

She was wearing a deep green turtleneck sweater and a pair of form-fitting jeans. Currently, she was smiling at the bouncer who was taking her coat while she shook the flakes of snow that manage to get themselves stuck on her outfit.

"Oi! Missy!" he yelled enthusiastically to get her attention.

Kaoru looked around to find the source of the call, but given the number of people in the crowded bar, her brows scrunched together as she struggled to meet the person who called her so loudly.

Kenshin, who was a bit surprised at his friend's sudden enthusiasm, looked at him curiously as he watched his friend's face light up with excitement. Sano raised his hands and waved around to make it easier for the twenty-one year old woman to find him, and waited for her to finally see where he was currently sitting.

Smiling, the violinist made her way towards her friend, having trouble with pushing her way through the rambunctious crowd. Sano met her halfway and pushed some of the more drunken patrons away from her petite body, sometimes even growling at them to play nice. When they finally reached their seats, Sano gallantly offered his own barstool to make her more comfortable, standing behind her and putting his arms on either side of her to shield her from the rowdy crowd.

Kaoru leaned into him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek as a way of greeting. "Hey, Sano. What are you doing here?"

"Playing chess, Missy." He chuckled. "What the hell do 'ya _think _I'm doing here?"

She laughed. "I see your point. It was stupid of me to ask."

The tall business major gestured for a couple of beers from the bartender and waited for the man to approach them with their requested drinks. "'Ya bet it was." He paused and looked down at her curiously. "The better question here is what are _you _doing here? Shouldn't you be busy plucking those strings 'a yours?"

"I play the violin, Sano. I don't _pluck _the strings." She said pointedly. "Besides, is it a crime to want to enjoy a few drinks after midterms? We have to suffer through those painful tests too, you know."

"Tests? You have tests?"

"Of course we do, you stupid man. How do you think we're graded?" She chuckled.

"Hell if I know." He shrugged. "But I can't say I'm too interested in that. So…"

She sighed playfully. "I still have no idea _how _Megumi managed to put up with you for three months."

"Because of my undeniable charm, of course!" He exclaimed, reaching for the two bottles of Corona that he was handed by the bartender and offering one to Kaoru. With a brief clink of their bottles, they both took a generous gulp of the alcoholic drink and sighed as they enjoyed the warmth that filled their stomachs.

Kenshin cleared his throat quite loudly and mentally gave himself a thwap on the head for forgetting to introduce his two companions. "Right, sorry. Kenshin, this is Kaoru, one of Megumi's friends; and Kaoru, this sad little man here is Kenshin."

The redhead gave his friend an annoyed glance, but gave his new acquaintance a small smile in greeting. "Hey." He said, raising his bottle towards her.

"Nice to meet you." Kaoru smiled back.

The tall man standing behind the woman grinned as what he thought was a brilliant idea popped into his head. "Now that we're all perfectly acquainted, I have a lovely suggestion for the two of 'ya."

Kaoru gave him a curious glance, while Kenshin glared at his friend—already knowing where the conversation was heading and threatening to cause him bodily harm if he continues.

Still, Sano stubbornly ignored the implied threat and grinned, pretending to whisper into Kaoru's ear despite the loudness of his voice. "'Ya see, Missy, the little redhead here is feeling a bit miserable because of his break-up… and it's pretty cold tonight, so would 'ya mind keeping him company and making him feel a bit… warm? If 'ya know what I mean."

Kaoru laughed. "Sano, I think the whole of Japan knows what you mean." She turned towards the redhead and gave him a playful once-over as he sat there looking amusedly at the two friends beside him. "But… I wouldn't mind."

The two men tensed at what she said, surprised at her agreement to the not-so-serious suggestion. Just as Sano was about to whoop in delight and focus on getting his little redheaded friend to agree to do what he suggested, Kaoru continued. "But," she sighed. "I have a prior engagement that I just can't get out of… and I won't be free 'til next year. So, if you wouldn't mind waiting, then I'm sure we can work something out." She winked.

Sano laughed and Kenshin couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled from his lips at her response. "Well, that's sad. I think Kenshin here was hoping you'd be serious about that answer 'a yours."

"Who says I wasn't?" she winked up at him playfully.

A cold breeze went through the bar when the entrance door opened again, and Kaoru turned her head to see who was entering the establishment. Smiling as she recognized the tall, stoic man with a serious disposition, she pushed herself down the bar stool so she could stand and bid her two companions goodbye. "Well, much as I'd _love _to sit here and wallow with the two of you," she teased as she glanced at Kenshin, "I'd really much rather enjoy the company of my good friend, Aoshi."

"Really?" Sano scoffed. "That man? But Missy, he barely talks." He paused. "Scratch that, he _never _talks."

"Still, I don't want to wait around to hear your redhead tell me about all his woes and heartaches. It's too nice of a night to do that." She glanced at Sano. "But I'm proud of you for being such a good friend to him."

She waved at Aoshi to get his attention and turned back to the two. "I have to go. I hope you two have a nice night." She smiled and turned to Kenshin. "And I hope you'll feel okay soon. Break-ups are hard, but you'll get through it."

Kenshin nodded at her and went back to his beer.

"But Missyyyyyyy." Sano groaned, holding on to her hand when she moved to walk away from them. "I want you heeeere. 'Ya know you're my favorite Missy!"

She scoffed and pushed his hand off her. "I'm your _only _Missy. Besides, you have my number. Call me when you want to hang or something. I'll see you around, rooster head."

"Alright, whatever." Sano said. "But if 'ya face any trouble or if any hooligans try hitting on you, 'ya holler at me and I'll come runnin' a'right?"

She laughed and nodded before turrning to walk away again, but suddenly faced the two men and raised her bottle. "And Kenshin? Thanks for the free drink." She said mischievously.

Kenshin nodded at her amusedly and watched her push her way through the crowd. His morose thoughts returning to him again once he lost sight of her.

"Seriously? You're seriously going to go back to being miserable? Missy didn't even cheer you up?" Sano said, frustration highly evident in his voice.

Kenshin ignored him and signaled the bartender for another round of drinks for him and his friend. His thoughts were still stuck on his ex-girlfriend but after he took another generous gulp of his drink, he couldn't help but think of the warm smile that came from the girl he just met.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>This is going to be a nice, light-hearted story. Just to give myself a break from the heaviness from **Rise **and **It Is What It Is**. Still, I'll be continuing **Relevance **and **Where Light Is Found**. I'm just waiting for the right words to hit me so I can go through the plotlines properly.

Thanks for all the support and I hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'm excited to hear what you think of this.

Love and happy holidays!

Cheers!


	2. Dear Prudence

**Author's Note: **Here it is! The next chapter to the story. I hope you guys don't mind me using The Beatles songs as the chapter titles. I just really love them, and I feel like their songs just fit the mood of what you'll be reading.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

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><p><strong>The Bargain<br>****Dear Prudence**

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><p><em>Dear Prudence<br>Open up your eyes_

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><p><strong>December<strong>

It's been three months now since the horrible break-up that shook Kenshin's world off-balance, and he hated to admit that he was still so torn up about it.

Snow was gently falling onto the peaceful grounds of their university, and only a few stragglers were busy making their way to god-knows-where. Back when he was a freshman and busy looking for a place to live in, he found himself lucky enough to have found a relatively spacey one-bedroom apartment in a nice building just a few blocks away from their university. The fact that it had a floor-to-ceiling window on one side of his living room pleased him, and lately he's been making good use of it to watch what was going on outside—especially since he only left his apartment for classes these days. Well, classes and whenever Sano would get tired of his pathetic attitude and drag him out to wherever he chose to hang out for the night.

Most nights, they'd be either drinking or simply having a good time with Megumi and her friends—whom Sano had contacted a month ago, claiming that he wanted to be friends with the no-nonsense woman because she took their break-up so damn well that he was amazed, much to the amusement of the Biology major and her friends. Since then, they've all been spending so much time together that you'd think they were friends for years now instead of the measly month that they've been hanging out.

Of course, because of Kenshin's still rather morose disposition, his friendship among the group of friends wasn't as lively as what the others share. Sano, due to his natural charisma and happy-go-lucky nature, integrated himself rather well with the group, while Kenshin usually watched by the sidelines, forcing himself to at least smile and participate in small conversations whenever he would be approached by any one of them. Because of this, he wouldn't really define what he and the others have as "friendship" per sé; for him, he considered them as acquaintances.

They were kind enough to understand why he was acting that way, and he could see that they've been trying to cheer him up with their antics and various activities—but he was quite sure that it was mostly due to Sano's insistence. Still, he didn't join in their activities unless he was asked to, but he found himself being with them most of the time because his best friend of four years made it his personal mission to "give him a life"; and when Sano had a mission, neither hell nor high water would get between him and his success.

He knew he was being particularly pathetic this time around, after all, it's been three months and he still couldn't pick himself back up from where he has fallen; but again, it was kind of hard to accept his separation with Tomoe because he really thought she was _the one _for him—as absurd as it may sound since they were both just seniors, although because of his not-so-sure decision to shift into the medical program, he might have to spend a few more years in the university than his batch mates.

With a sigh, the redhead brought the bottle of Corona to his lips to take a generous sip of the alcoholic drink. No matter what the weather, he found that either wine or beer could always calm his nerves. Besides, he considered himself warm enough to deal with the freezing temperature they were being subjected to. He had a white long-sleeved polo that was neatly tucked underneath a knitted deep green sweater and a pair of jeans. Considering that he had a very efficient heater, he was comfortable in his lovely apartment.

A loud knock at the door made him sigh once again and pinch his nose in frustration before he made his way to the entrance to his apartment. He gently placed the bottle of beer he was holding on the side table that was conveniently placed by the door so he could easily drop his keys onto them whenever he'd come home.

Steeling himself for what was going to be another loud conversation with his best friend, he opened the door and let himself be pushed aside by the tall man so he could enter the well-furnished apartment—courtesy of his Uncle who made sure that his nephew lived comfortably and that he would have an environment conducive enough for him to do well in his studies.

"You about ready yet?" Sano asked, flopping himself down onto the black couch. His legs raising to rest themselves on the couch's armrest and his arm hanging off the backrest of the cushioned seat.

"Didn't you get my text?" Kenshin said quietly as he grabbed his bottle and walked towards his friend.

Sano scoffed. "And didn't you get mine? I told you there was no way in hell you're not coming with me. Get your coat and keys. We're going to be late and the fox is going to cut our balls off if we don't make it on time."

"What happened to your car?" the redhead asked curiously.

"Back at the shop, had something to do with changing the oil or whatever the hell it is that's wrong with it."

"Borrow my car, then." He offered, before giving the sprawled out man a pointed look. "Just make sure to get it back in one piece tomorrow. The last time I let you borrow it the right headlight was damaged, and you still haven't paid me for the repairs."

"Whatever." Sano shrugged off, as expected. "Anyway, 'ya won't have to worry about any more damages to that thing if _you_ drive. It's your car anyway."

Kenshin sighed. "I told you, I'm not going."

"And _I _told _you _that you are."

"You can't force me into this, Sanosuke. I'm tired and I want to get a decent night's sleep."

Sano sat up and gave his friend a searching look, rubbing his face in frustration when he saw what mood the redhead was in… _again_. "Kenshin, I'm telling you this once _as a friend_, you can either come with me willingly or I can drag you there by that mop 'a red hair 'a yours. 'Ya know I'm big enough to lug you around." He threatened.

"_I don't want to go._" Kenshin replied sternly.

"Damn it." The large man swore as he stood to stand closer to the morose redhead. "Look, we gotta go, a'right? Missy's playing tonight and we have to be there as a show of support. She's our friend, and can't 'ya be a decent human being for once and show them that 'ya at least care for whatever the fuck it is that they all do?"

Kenshin scoffed. "They're _your _friends. You just drag me around so I can pay for you every time you have something to pay for."

"I only make 'ya do that 'cause I think I should get a little something in return for putting up with your pathetic ass." He glanced down at his watch and swore quietly. "We gotta go. The recital's gonna start soon and it'll be hell getting to our seats if all of the other seats beside us have people sittin' on them. Come on." He said as he pushed his friend roughly towards the direction of the door.

"_I don't want to go, _Sanosuke. What part of that sentence do you not understand?"

"'Ya know, all I hear from you these days are whining and moping and more whining. In the end, 'ya give in anyway. So let's not waste our time and just get moving, yeah?" He gave his friend another shove and threw the redhead's keys at him.

"I don't even know why _you _want to go." Kenshin grumbled while he turned off all the lights as they both exited his apartment. "You told me yourself you hate going to things like this, and we've _never _gone to any of the recitals before."

"It's different this time. The fox says Missy always plays on these things and I think it's about time we went anyway. I wouldn't want to disappoint the lovely little girl. Would you?"

The two men entered the elevator and made their way down to the basement. "I barely know her, Sanosuke. I could count the number of times I've talked to her in _one _hand, and I've seen her even less than that."

"That's 'cause she's been practicin' for this—which is why we gotta go watch her. Show her that we're her friends and we're here to stay." Sano explained nonchalantly. "They're a great bunch'a people, 'ya know. The kind I'd still like to see after we get out of this hellhole."

"Does that mean _I'll _have to hang around with them more, too?"

Sano grinned. "'Ya bet."

The pair of friends walked over to where Kenshin's black car was parked and entered the vehicle calmly, the redhead sighing once again as he started the car and the tall man trying his hardest to not pound the smaller man until he gets out of the damned funk he's been in ever since the break-up. The drive to the auditorium where the Winter Recital was to be held was on the other side of the campus, so it took them about twenty minutes before they reached the venue. The ride was thankfully silent, and it wasn't until they reached the crowded parking lot that Sano started grumbling once again about how they could've found a decent parking space if it weren't for his friend's moping.

Once they finally found an empty spot, Kenshin parked the car and grabbed his tan coat on his way out. He pocketed his keys and walked beside his friend, his interest admittedly growing as they walked closer and closer to the crowded auditorium. Honestly, he didn't think that a lot of people would be interested in watching the shows since most of the pieces that were played in the recitals were classics and sometimes, acoustic renditions of current songs.

They reached the entrance and Sano handed the guard their tickets before they were allowed to enter the lobby.

"I didn't know you bought me a ticket." Kenshin said amusedly.

Sano chuckled. "Nah. They were from the Missy."

The redhead hmmed and waited patiently for Sano to find the rest of the group who were probably already in the crowded lobby. When he saw his friend wave frantically to someone, he was immediately dragged by his sweater towards where their other friends were. He wasn't surprised to see Megumi looking annoyed as they came within her line of sight, although he admitted that he was a bit glad that her other two companions were watching them approach with smiling faces—well, the petite Misao was; he found that the other tall man, Aoshi Shinomori, preferred to remain silent most of the time due to his serious demeanor.

"You couldn't have gotten here earlier, you useless oaf?" Megumi growled as she hit Sano's stomach with the back of her hand. "I _specifically _told you to be here at eight thirty pm _sharp_."

"Hey hey," Sano placated. "We're only fifteen minutes late. Besides, you can blame this one not getting us here on time." He said, gesturing towards the now gently smiling redhead. "Stupid man was too busy moping to move any faster. I had to practically drag him down here just so he'd come."

The glare that the Biology major was issuing his friend was immediately shifted to him and he gulped. Somehow, he'd always had this unexplainable fear of the stern-faced woman. "What? You were too busy moping _again_?" She scoffed. "Next time _I'd _drag you out of that hole of yours. I have scalpels and syringes and I assure you it won't be pleasant."

Kenshin chuckled. "I'm sure it won't. But I'm sorry anyway. I'm just not really a fan of classical music."

"Yeah. Whatever. I'm _sure _that's the reason." Megumi replied condescendingly.

Before the conversation could escalate to a louder volume, Misao interrupted the three with her usual enthusiasm. "If you guys are done, we have to go inside now." She said as she hooked her arms onto Megumi's and Kenshin's, not waiting for them to start moving before she started walking towards the entrance to the auditorium herself. "I want to get a nice nap before Kaoru starts playing. Things like this bore me _all _the time."

Kenshin chuckled, amused at her admission and his mood starting to pick up because of the bubbly girl's warm smiles and obvious friendliness towards him despite his recent behavior towards all of them… well, that _and _Megumi glared at him warningly—a silent threat that if he acted like his mopey self, he would have _her _to answer to.

"So should I expect to be bored as well?" He asked with a smile.

Misao grimaced. "I don't know if this is your thing, but I guess it'll depend." She brightened then. "But you've _got _to watch out for Kaoru. I heard she has a solo tonight and the finale's going to be a duet between her and Enishi. They're always so good together."

He paused in surprise at what she said, causing the bubbly woman beside him to stop walking as well. "Enishi? As in Enishi Yukishiro?"

"Yeah. Why?" Misao asked curiously. "You know him?"

Kenshin remained standing in the middle of the entranceway, which made the other people who were entering the auditorium walk past them so they could get to their seats. Megumi removed her arm from Misao's and made her way towards the front of the auditorium where their seats were located. He saw their other friends follow Megumi's lead from his peripheral vision and sighed at Misao's still curious look.

Slowly, he shook his head, not wanting to dampen the other's energy. "No. I just… I've heard of him. He's Tomoe's brother."

Realization showed on Misao's face and she gave him a look of pity before shrugging it off and dragging him along once again. "Well, you're probably going to meet him tonight. Try not to burst out in tears, okay? He's really good friends with Kaoru and I'd hate for you to make an absolute fool of yourself. Plus, Sano'll bust your ass if you do."

Kenshin chuckled, but remained silent as he made a few excuses so he and his companion could get to their cushioned seats. They were only a few rows in front of the stage, which made him wonder at how special Kaoru must be to be able to get them such a good view of the stage. He was the last person to reach his assigned position so he got to sit between Sano and a stranger. Megumi was sitting with poise beside the tall man, followed by Misao and Aoshi. He chuckled as Misao laid her head on Aoshi's shoulder—obviously preparing to take the nap that she said she would indulge herself in before their friend's performance.

The raised platform was relatively simple, with only a few minimalist Christmas decorations scattered across the stage. As expected, there was a grand piano located in the middle of the wooden platform, and a few mic stands that were somewhere beside it. He feigned interest at the decorations all around the auditorium, but his true intent was to secretly look around to see if Tomoe was around, mentally gearing himself up for what he would say should he come across her.

Sano was obviously aware of what he was thinking, having known the redhead for far too long. He elbowed the redhead on the stomach and Kenshin gave a pained grunt before glaring at his friend.

"What the hell was that for?" He hissed.

"I know what you're thinking." Sano whispered back, just as harsh as the redhead. "Stop looking for the goddamned woman. I'm not letting 'ya get close enough to even see what she's wearing, a'right? There is _no _way I'm letting you talk to her if you do see her."

Kenshin gave him one last annoyed look before grumbling about him not being in control of his life ever since he met the tall man. Sano chuckled just as the lights went off and the spotlight was lit to feature the dean of the music department giving his opening remarks.

The rest of the show was really a big blur to Kenshin since he didn't really hold that much interest in the genre of music that they were being subjected to. Although he did appreciate a few pieces that were played—only because of the obvious complexity of how they were played and the talent with which the people who were playing the instruments had. Once, he had heard that only the best of the best performers were allowed to get into the music program of their university—which was determined by the talent test that they had to take on top of the entrance exams that everyone was required to take.

Still, he showed a great amount of respect—though at some parts, he had to feign his interest—for the musicians by not falling asleep and watching the show intently. Sano, on the other hand, obviously had absolutely no patience for such music and fell into a deep slumber about thirty minutes into the show. Amused, he watched as his friend's head lolled back and forth, much to the annoyance of the woman sitting beside him. At one point, his black-haired head fell to rest against the backrest of the cushioned seat, his mouth falling open and a few loud snores emitting from his throat. He chuckled when Megumi elbowed him harshly on his ribs, effectively waking Sano from his sleep and rubbing his eyes tiredly as he gave the Biology major a sheepish smile.

He sat back and watched musicians with various instruments walk on and off the stage, each of them playing their pieces perfectly. There were singers who performed as well, and he was glad that he got a chance to hear such beautiful voices that made his heart flutter pleasantly in his chest. Music really did have a great ability to soothe and warm people up. He smiled when one of the male singers finished his beautiful rendition of _"Con te Partiro" _and fondly remembered the time when his own uncle played the song countless times when he was a child as he worked on various tasks for the financial consultancy firm that they owned.

It wasn't until Kaoru walked onstage with her violin in hand that the group woke up completely to pay close attention to what their friend would be performing that night. Frankly, he was amazed at how radiant she looked as she prepared herself to play the piece that she's been practicing for over a month now. Her hair was up in a beautiful chignon and the simple, halter-top, emerald green gown she wore made her skin glow under the spotlight that was trained on her and only on her. The top of the gown fit her torso well before the silk flowed down her body and reached the floor, where he could catch hints of a pair of silver high-heeled sandals that made her appear taller.

After seeing her mostly in simple shirts, jeans, and skirts, he felt that it was understandable for him to react the way he did. His eyes were wide and his mouth fell slightly open as he watched her move gracefully onto the middle of the stage. Briefly, he glanced at Sano and felt more at ease with himself when he saw that his friend had basically the same reaction as he did. He turned back to face the stage and waited for Kaoru to start, eager to see if she was as talented as they all told her she was.

He held his breath when he heard the first note, and released it when she continued. The whole crowd was silent as they watched and let themselves be entranced by the piece that he sadly didn't recognize—not that it mattered since it held his complete and utter attention. The melody, the way that she held the violin and moved the fiddle passionately across the strings that she controlled enchanted him and made his heart ache with every gentle note that surrounded the entire auditorium. Suddenly, he was filled with so much gratitude for Sano for dragging him to the recital.

He was utterly, completely amazed at the woman who was standing before them all. He let himself be dragged away by the beautiful music, closing his eyes so he could savor the melody even more. He was filled with warmth and a lot of other feelings that he couldn't even explain, making him smile gently and feel butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.

As she dragged the last note of her piece signaling the end of her performance, he found himself slightly disappointed and wanting to hear more of the soothing sounds that came from her instrument. He couldn't believe the amount of power that such a simple looking thing could hold over an entire auditorium filled with people. He turned his head to see how his other companions reacted to Kaoru's performance and smiled when he saw them all wearing proud grins and happy faces as they all clapped in praise for the concluded piece. It was Sano's reaction that greatly amused him—he knew that the man was not the type to appreciate such music, but it was clear that he too was entranced by what they just witnessed.

Shaking himself out of his stupor, the tall man turned to Kenshin with a grin. "See?" he said softly. "Told 'ya she was good. Worth comin' out'a your hole for, eh?"

Kenshin chuckled. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I don't need your thanks. I need the beer you're getting me after this thing. We're going out to celebrate Missy's recital." He scoffed.

The crowd shushed again and the group looked forward excitedly to watch the final piece that would signal the end of the recital. The redhead watched as Kaoru stayed on her spot, but turn to smile brightly at a familiar man with shockingly white hair walk towards the grand piano that was located in the middle of the stage. The two shared a warm look before they both prepared to play their piece, which made Kenshin wonder at the history behind their obvious closeness. Were they in a relationship? He couldn't recall Tomoe ever mentioning her brother being romantically involved with someone.

The thought made his chest constrict once again as he thought about his ex-girlfriend. He sighed to try to force himself away from the direction of his thoughts, and decided to focus completely on the performance. Once again, he held his breath as he waited for the musicians to start, and released it when he heard the first notes from Enishi's piano—so gentle that it sent pleasant vibes all throughout his body.

Kaoru's violin joined the melody coming from the piano, and he swore he had never heard something so beautiful as what he was hearing right then and there. His eyes closed and he savored every note and every transition from one chord to another, feeling the emotions that the piece was supposed to elicit. From what he could tell, it was some sort of love song, a beautiful promise that was being made from one lover to another. Instead of filling his heart with painful memories of love that he felt when he was still with Tomoe, all he felt was warmth and the desire for the piece to never end.

Finally, the performance ended and the crowd immediately stood up to applaud the two musicians, some even whooping as Enishi and Kaoru bowed and smiled graciously at their audience before giving each other a huge hug to celebrate their success. The other music majors that took part in the recital went onstage and the crowd continued to clap their hands in congratulations, but Kenshin was focused on the woman that he had the pleasure of being acquainted with.

"Hell. I didn't know Missy could play _that _well." Sano commented as the group made their way towards the stage to greet and congratulate their friend.

Megumi scoffed. "Of course she could. She's one of the best in her class and she'd always be one of the last performers everytime they hold a recital. Haven't you ever been to one of these before?"

"Whaddya think?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot how unbelievably uncultured you are." She sighed. "I can't believe I ever dated you."

"Because of my charm!" Sano wiggled his eyebrows and put his arm around the stern woman's shoulders. "And… you know, my ability to make you—"

"Sagara!" She scolded, blushing at his insinuation.

The tall business major laughed and Kenshin couldn't help the smile that crawled up his face as he listened to the couple banter.

"What did you think, Kenshin?" Misao asked, looping her arm around his and leaning into him as they walked. "You didn't fall asleep, did you? I heard Sano snoring somewhere in the middle of the show and I couldn't see you from where I was sitting. Did you like it?"

The redhead smiled indulgently at the petite woman. "I wouldn't mind attending another. It was a great show."

Misao smiled and they both followed Aoshi and the still bickering couple. They pushed their way towards the stairs by the side of the stage and they eagerly waited for Kaoru to emerge, all of them talking about where they would celebrate the success of the recital.

"Usually, everyone goes to the bar over at the other side of campus. I think Kaoru might want to join them there." Misao told them.

Groaning, Sano replied. "So you're saying we have to hang out with a bunch of stuck up prudes? Do they even drink or, you know, have fun?"

"They're not bad company." Megumi replied. "In case you haven't noticed, they're people too."

Kenshin remained silent as he listened to the excited talk around him, his eyes roaming around the venue to watch families and friends congratulate the musicians that performed during the excellent Winter Recital. Really, he never thought he'd be able to appreciate such events, but he found himself feeling interested enough to attend another concert such as this.

He turned and froze when he caught sight of a familiar face who was busy mingling with her companions. As always, Tomoe looked prim and elegant in the blue dress that he so loved on her and he had the urge to approach her—a desire he was fully intent on allowing himself to indulge in.

Sano saw his friend looking at a particular direction and gave an annoyed grunt when he saw what the redhead was looking at. When Kenshin started to move towards Tomoe's current location, the tall man wasted no time in grabbing him by the back of the sweater he was wearing.

"Oh no you don't." he scolded. "What makes 'ya think I'm gonna let you walk up to that bitch? You're staying right here where I can watch your pathetic ass."

The redhead shoved Sano's hand off of him and glared at his friend. "I'm just going to go talk to her, Sanosuke. It's not like I'm going to cause a scene or anything."

"That's the point. I don't want you going near her, and I'm most certainly not gonna watch you mope around again after you do. Control yourself."

Stubbornly, Kenshin moved towards Tomoe again and felt Sano grab his arm roughly to pull him into the circle that they made.

"Sanosuke." He warned.

"I said _no _Himura."

"You can't control me, Sanosuke."

Misao interrupted the heated conversation. "I really don't think you should go either, Kenshin. It sounds like a bad idea after your history and all that; and you've been doing so much better the last month. I'd hate to see you so sad again."

'_If only you knew'_, Kenshin thought morosely. "I just want to talk to her for a bit. Say hello and all." He sighed.

"Kenshin." Megumi called.

The redhead was getting annoyed at his group of friends and was planning on telling them off when Aoshi interrupted, shocking the group since he usually didn't participate in conversations such as what they were having now.

"Let him go." He said calmly, eyeing Kenshin as he did so. "It's his life."

"But—" Sano tried to reason out.

"Let him go."

Kenshin gave the stoic man a thankful glance when Sano finally let go of his arm. He steeled himself for the upcoming conversation and put his hands in his pockets as he made his way over to where Tomoe was cheerily speaking with her friends. When he reached the small group, he cleared his throat to announce his presence and watched as his ex-girlfriend's eyes widen at seeing him there.

"Kenshin." She gasped, surprised at his sudden appearance.

Her friends politely moved away from the two and the redhead suddenly felt awkward and unsure of what he should say next. He settled with a simple, "Hey Tomoe."

"What are you doing here?" she asked softly, smiling at him and making his chest constrict at the sight. "I didn't think I'd see you here, of all places."

"I came to uh—watch a friend of mine. She plays the violin." He explained, forcing a smile onto his face as he spoke with her.

"Oh? Who?"

"Kaoru Kamiya." At her curious glance, he decided to expound further. "Yeah, Sano and I started hanging out with her and her friends last month."

Tomoe smiled. "Ah. She was really good tonight. Did you enjoy the show then?"

"Yeah, I did." He nodded. "I'm starting to regret not coming with you whenever you'd invite me to these things."

An awkward silence fell upon the two of them at the reference to their previous relationship. Deciding to break the silence, Tomoe spoke once more. "She's a really great person." She said, referring to Kaoru. "I've spent some time with her because of Enishi. He's really good friends with her."

"So I've heard."

"Anyway, you look great!" she gushed. "Are you still planning on shifting to medicine?"

"I'm talking it over with my uncle, but he's a bit worried still."

Tomoe nodded. "Understandable. You do run a firm, after all."

"Yeah."

Once again, they fell silent and awkwardly looked around, letting themselves be surrounded by the chatter that was coming from the people around them.

Finally, Enishi and Kaoru emerged from the stairs on their side of the stage, both of them laughing and cheerily talking about the recital. When they spotted the ex-couple, he saw Enishi's face flash with annoyance which contrasted with Kaoru's bright smile.

"Hey." Kaoru greeted. "Did you guys enjoy the show?"

"Very. You were both brilliant. You both deserved the standing ovation you got." Tomoe said warmly.

"And you, Kenshin?" The blue-eyed woman asked. "You didn't fall asleep, did you?" She giggled.

"Not at all." He chuckled. "Although Sanosuke did. Megumi had to hit him twice to wake him up. I think the people behind us were getting annoyed with his snoring."

"Well, what else could you expect from that giant?" She laughed, making Kenshin smile at the brightness of her attitude.

Suddenly remembering himself, Kenshin gestured towards the other side of the stage where their friends were currently waiting for them and watching the strange interaction among the four of them. Kaoru smiled and let go of Enishi's arm, standing on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on Enishi's cheek, which made the blonde-haired man look down fondly at her.

"I have to go now, blondie. But I'll see you at the bar, yeah?"

Enishi nodded. "Yeah. Get there fast 'cause I'm planning to get smashed tonight. I wanna get a few drinks in with you before I pass out on the field."

Kaoru giggled again and gestured for Kenshin to lead her to where their other friends were, throwing a brief goodbye to Tomoe as they left. As soon as they made it there, Sano engulfed the elegantly dressed woman with a huge bear hug.

"You were really really good up there, Missy!" He said happily. "I'm glad I took the tickets 'ya gave me."

"Oh stop it. Kenshin told me you fell asleep in the middle of the show, you pretentious bastard."

"Yeah, but I was awake when it was your turn! Though I have to say, couldn't you have played something a bit more modern? Like, I dunno, Edge of Glory or something like that."

Amused, Kaoru replied. "Noted. I'll ask the whole orchestra to perform just for you next time."

Megumi shoved Sano away from the blue-eyed woman and gave her a brief hug. "You were great, Kaoru. I loved every minute of it."

"Yeah!" Misao said happily. "God, aren't your fingers sore or something? And your neck! You've gotta have a stiff neck from the way you were holding that violin of yours."

"My fingers and my neck are fine, Misao, but thanks for your concern." She blushed. "And thanks, you guys. I know this isn't really something you enjoy attending, but I'm glad you went anyway."

"The last piece was good." Aoshi commented. "Was it Yiruma?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah. Kiss the Rain. We were supposed to do River Flows in You, but Enishi wanted something a bit more… feely."

"I didn't know you were friends with Enishi." Kenshin mused.

"Oh, we're really good friends. He's always my partner during the recitals, so it was bound to happen, I guess." She replied happily. "He's very talented."

"He is." The redhead agreed.

"Anywaaaay," Sano interrupted loudly. "We can all talk on the way to the bar. I'm dying for a nice bottle of beer right about now. Are 'ya guys ready to go?"

Megumi scoffed yet again. "Sure. Give the man a recital and he falls asleep, but tell them you're going to a party and he's suddenly so wide awake."

The tall man grinned and dragged Megumi and Misao by their arms to push their way outside of the crowded auditorium. They grabbed their coats and scarves and made sure they were all warm before they stepped out into the cold night, all of them crowding around each other to joke and share the overall good vibes that the night elicited in each of them. Aoshi and Kaoru were merrily chatting about the pieces that were played during the recital while Kenshin listened beside them, asking questions every now and then whenever something would pique his interest.

"Oi, Kenshin. I'm ridin' with the fox. 'Ya gonna be alright getting to the bar?" Sano asked as they talked about how they were all going to get to the destination of the after-party.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, I'll manage. I know where it is." He glanced around the rest of the group. "Does anyone else need a lift?"

"I'm going with Aoshi." Misao announced happily. "We don't know where it is so we'll just follow Megumi's car."

Kaoru smiled as she listened to everyone, adjusting her grip on her violin case as she did so. "I'll see you guys there then. I reserved a table for us near the DJ's booth so just tell the bouncers you're all with me, okay?"

"How are _you _going to get there?" Sano asked curiously. "Where's your car parked? I can ride with you instead, if you want."

"No, no." She shook her head. "I'm taking a cab to my apartment. I still have to change, you know, and 'Nishi drove me here so, yeah. I can't very well go there dressed like this." She giggled and gestured towards her floor-length gown.

"Where do you live? I can drive you there, if you'd like." Kenshin interrupted.

"No, it's really alright. I'm over by the building on the other side of campus. It's out of the way, so you guys just go on ahead."

The business major turned wide eyes at her, surprised to know that she lived in the same building as he did seeing as there was only one apartment building on the west side of their large university campus. "Oh? So you live in Easton?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"I live there too." He replied. "I'll take you there. I have to get something from my place anyway, so I don't mind."

"Oh? What do you have to get?" she asked curiously, wondering if he was just making an excuse so he can drive her to where she had to go since he was too polite to allow her to take a cab knowing that he had a vehicle he could use to do so.

"My wallet." Kenshin chuckled. "I forgot to pick it up on our way here since _someone_," he glanced pointedly at Sano. "dragged me here without giving me enough time to prepare."

Kaoru giggled at his explanation and tried to listen to Sano explain why he had to take such extraordinary measures to ensure that the redhead would be at the event. However, Megumi was already dragging her towards the place where her car was parked, so she wasn't able to hear much of it. A minute later, Aoshi and Misao walked off to get to their own vehicle, leaving the two friends alone.

"Well, I guess we should go then." Kenshin said awkwardly.

The violinist simply smiled and followed the redhead as he led her to his black car, allowing him to carry her violin case after he insisted on bringing it for her as a proper gentleman would. It wasn't long before they reached the occupied parking space and Kenshin gallantly opened the door for her and placed her instrument on the back seat before getting in himself. He easily pulled out of the parking space, but they had to face a bit of traffic due to the amount of vehicles that were exiting the venue.

Kaoru looked out of the window as they moved along, while Kenshin sat there silently, trying to think of something to say to the woman he was barely acquainted with. It was the violinist who broke the five minute silence with a giggle.

Curiously, the redhead glanced at her with amusement. "What's so funny?"

"This is." The blue-eyed woman pointed out. "This is unbelievably awkward, don't you think?"

He smiled. "It's not _that _awkward."

"Seriously?" Kaoru laughed.

"Okay, maybe it's a bit awkward."

The two of them chuckled as Kenshin drove through the familiar path of the campus that would lead to where their apartment building was located.

"I haven't seen you much these days. I'm guessing you've been busy practicing?" The redhead asked.

Kaoru nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, plus it took us a while before we were able to decide on what piece we should play. Our professor was really picky. The solo he wanted me to play was shit hard, and the one I did with Enishi took a while before we got it perfected."

"Well, it was completely worth it. You were incredible up there."

"Thanks." She said, blushing at the compliment.

A brief silence fell over them again before Kenshin gave her a quick glance to ask the question that he's been dying to ask since he met her by the stage. "So", he started. "Have you been friends with Yukishiro for a long time?"

"Yeah." She replied. "I met him during freshman year and we've been playing and hanging out together ever since. He's a cool guy."

"Do you know his sister too, then?"

She gave him a curious glance but answered his question nonetheless. "Yeah. Although she's always been really quiet. I have to say I haven't seen anyone as poised as her, though." She mused. "We'd have dinner or have a couple of drinks sometimes, but she was always with her boyfriend. I've never met him, but from what 'Nishi said he's a great guy."

Kenshin's chest constricted as he listened to her explain the extent of her relationship with his ex. Instead of asking another question, he just 'hmm'ed in response.

"You know, I didn't think I'd ever hang out with Sano again after he ditched Megumi." Kaoru said amusedly. "He seems like he's not the type to actually want to be _just _friends with a girl." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye before going back to staring out the window. "And I most certainly didn't expect to actually be friends with _you_. I mean, I haven't even seen you around here before and we live in the same building."

He chuckled. "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"No!" she defended, scared that she offended him in some way. "I'm just surprised, is all."

"It's alright. To be honest, I feel the same way; and you're right when you said that Sanosuke's not the type to do what he's doing now, though. It's the first time he's done this."

"So what makes Megumi any different?"

"Well, he told me she was the only one to take their break-up really well, so I guess he was amused or something." He told her. "Although I'm not so sure myself. I may have been friends with him for a long time, but I've never understood what goes on in that big head of his."

"I can see why." She laughed.

The lighthearted conversation drew to a close when Kenshin pulled over on the driveway by the entrance to their apartment building. He turned off the ignition and turned towards his companion who was busy pulling out her violin case from the backseat.

"So, I'll meet you back here in thirty minutes?" the redhead asked with a smile.

Kaoru, who was obviously surprised by what he said, looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh no, you don't have to!" she said. "I was planning on bringing my car anyway, so I can just meet you guys there. Besides, you just have to get your wallet, I might take a while before I finish changing."

"My car's out anyway." He shrugged. "And I really don't mind waiting. That way we can be sure that the others will be settled before when we get there."

She thought about what he said and understood the point that he made. "Well, okay. If you really don't mind, that is."

He smiled. "Here, why don't we trade numbers so you can text me when you're done and we can meet back down here?"

"Yeah, sure." She replied.

They exchanged contact details and both got out of the black vehicle, both of them continuing the lighthearted conversation they were sharing while they were in the car. They took the same elevator and pushed the respective numbers for their floors, noting that Kenshin's apartment was located on a higher floor than Kaoru's.

It took Kaoru a measly twenty minutes to change from the elegant gown that she wore and into a pair of jeans and a simple, long sleeved button-up. Her wavy hair flowed down her shoulders when she pulled it out of the chignon it was in, and she chose to wear a pair of simple black pumps and grabbed her purse as she texted Kenshin to let him know that she was on her way down.

It only took thirty minutes to get to the bar where the after-party was being held and they found a parking space easily enough. It was on the way inside that Kenshin's mood plummeted from the cheer that Kaoru's presence made him feel.

He was currently helping Kaoru with her coat and scarf when he locked eyes with Tomoe, who was standing not too far from them and giving him a curious look before glancing at Kaoru. Instead of going to talk to her though, he opted to put his arm around Kaoru to guide her through the rambunctious crowd to the place where Sano was currently waving frantically at them. He felt a bit of satisfaction when he saw Tomoe's brows furrow in confusion at how he was acting towards the violinist, but pushed the feeling away when the woman beside him pulled him towards the set of couches that they'd be occupying for the rest of the night.

The rest of the night was filled with passing around drinks and shots and mingling with the other guests in the bar. The performers were congratulated rather roughly, but they didn't seem to mind since they were all having fun.

Kenshin and Kaoru danced together a couple of times and he had to admit that the woman and her friends managed to make him feel the most cheerful he's ever felt since his break-up. He made sure to prevent the rowdy male patrons from making her feel uncomfortable by covering her with his body, ensuring that she didn't notice what he was doing in case she was the type of woman to get offended when men act like women couldn't protect themselves. When he got a bit too tired to continue moving around on the dance floor, he directed himself towards their table and sat down as he grabbed a glass of coke with a bit of rum.

He was amused to find Sano not nearly drunk enough as he should be at this time of the night. The tall man sat beside him and got himself a drink, both of them keeping an eye on their friends who were still dancing near their table. Aoshi and Misao were together, while Megumi and Kaoru looked like they were having the time of their lives as they savored and moved with the beats and mixes that the DJ was playing.

It amazed Kenshin how Kaoru could transform from someone with absolute grace and poise and passion as she played her instrument, yet still manage to enjoy herself like the rest of the people her age. He didn't notice that he was staring at her intently until Sano chuckled beside him, highly amused at the serious look that Kenshin was wearing as he watched Kaoru.

"She's quite the girl, eh?" Sano commented.

"Yeah." Kenshin agreed. "I can't say I've ever met anyone like her."

"It's about goddamned time you noticed someone else aside from that bitch of an ex of yours!" The tall man said, giving Kenshin a hard shove as he did so. "Though I have to tell 'ya, I'm gonna have to kill 'ya if you ever hurt little Missy there."

Kenshin scoffed. "Sanosuke. I barely even know her, and I have no plans of dating her."

"Yeah. _Yet_." Sano replied. "Anyway, the rest of her people are pretty protective of her so you're going to have to answer to _them _instead'a just me."

"Sanosuke. I don't think you're hearing what I'm saying. I barely know her."

"So _get _to know her!" He exclaimed. "It's not gonna be that hard, especially since 'ya live in the same damn building and all'a that."

"Stop it, Sanosuke." The redhead said as he took a sip of his drink.

Sano scoffed. "Whatever." He paused, looking at his friend searchingly. "I see that look you're giving her."

"What look?"

"That look." Sano pointed out. "The grand _look of interest._"

"There is no look."

"Yeah. There is." The tall man replied, watching his friend look back at the dancefloor in lieu of continuing their conversation. "See! There's that look! It's _that _look!"

"You know what? Just drop it, Sano. I'm not even ready to date yet."

The black-haired man scoffed again. "You're in college, you stupid fuck. Nobody _cares _if you're not ready to date yet. Go get yourself a rebound—a palette cleanser or something."

"Are you suggesting that I should date Kaoru as a _palette cleanser_?"

"What?" Sano exclaimed. "No! You get yourself another chick _before _you even make a move on Missy—otherwise you'll have _me _to answer to."

"Well, that won't be a problem for you because I'm not _planning _on dating anyone."

"You're pathetic. You're a pathetic little idiot. If you won't do it, I'm gonna do it for 'ya. Wait here while I find some girl, a'right?"

Before Sano could stand up though, Kenshin grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the leather seat he was previously occupying. "Don't. I'm driving with Kaoru tonight."

He got a mischievous grin from his friend in response and remained silent for the rest of the night as they waited for their friends to tire so they could all go home. It took them about an hour before Aoshi finally asked them all if they could go to their respective dorms and apartments, all of them not bothering to change who they were riding with so it could be easier for them.

The redhead was secretly glad that the woman he was accompanying wasn't drunk, although she did have to lean into him and loop her arm around his because of her sore feet. When they got to his car, he was surprised to find Tomoe about to enter her own vehicle that was parked beside his.

He opened the door to the passenger's side for Kaoru and helped her get in before walking over to where his ex was standing, looking curiously over at him and Kaoru.

"Hey." Kenshin greeted quietly, his hands shoved in his pockets.

Tomoe smiled. "Hey."

"I uh—didn't expect to see you here."

"Oh, well Enishi invited me so… yeah." She said shakily. "I didn't know you were dating Kaoru." She mused.

Kenshin's eyes widened in surprise at the statement and he struggled to tell her why the violinist was sitting in his car, watching the ex-couple interact. "We're not!" he defended. "It's just that she lives in Easton too so I figured we could both come here together, you know? Save ourselves the hassle and all that."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Kenshin." Tomoe chuckled. "I guess I was just surprised to see you with someone so close to Enishi." She explained. "Anyway, I have to go now. I have a huge test tomorrow morning that I have yet to study for."

"Oh." The redhead said pathetically. "Yeah, alright. I guess I'll—I'll see you around, then?"

"Yeah. See you."

Without further ado, they both entered their respective vehicles, and Kenshin watched as Tomoe pulled out of the driveway and made her way out of the club's parking space and into the highway. Sighing, he started his car and waited for it to warm up, letting his head fall onto the driver's wheel.

"So… I'm guessing Tomoe was the girlfriend you were talking about?" Kaoru asked quietly.

The business major was a bit surprised at hearing her voice since he forgot he wasn't alone in the vehicle. He sat up straight and turned to face the blue-eyed woman with morose eyes. "Yeah, sorry. I should've told you earlier."

"Don't be silly." Kaoru scolded lightly. "It's none of my business anyway."

Kenshin stayed silent as he started driving away from the club. He was about to turn the radio on to make them both more comfortable, but the violinist broke the silence by stating something that made his chest constrict painfully.

"She must be a hard woman to get over." She mused quietly.

He sighed. "You have no idea."

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Well, here it is. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I'm looking forward to writing the rest of this story! Thank you so much to everyone to reviewed and followed this story, and I'm so happy to get a chance to give you all good vibes by updating the stories that I've written.

Happy holidays and Happy New Year everyone! May we all have a wonderful 2015. Sukhi hotu!

Cheers!


	3. Do You Want To Know A Secret

**Author's Note: **Sorry this took a while. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

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><p><strong>The Bargain<br>****Do You Want To Know A Secret**

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><p><em>Do you want to know a secret?<br>Do you promise not to tell?_

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><p><strong>January<strong>

Life... was getting better for him.

He had to admit that he owed most of it to Sanosuke for putting up with all the moping that he did the past few months, and he was also grateful for the group of friends that they were suddenly a big part of—even though they only started hanging out last November. He found that it was easier to move forward with life if you got more than a little help sometimes.

He very much enjoyed the company of the people they were already very good friends with. Honestly, it wasn't that hard to get along with them since they were so welcoming and understanding of what he and Sano were like. Although some may find it odd since they all come from different majors and they all had very different personalities, the chemistry that they all shared was almost flawless. Some would even say that their group was perfectly balanced despite of its diversity.

Megumi, the woman that Sano dated, turned out to be a no-nonsense type of woman person. Her decision to go out with the tall business major remained a mystery to them all, although Kenshin thinks it was really more about her curiosity-which fits because she's a Biology major who's planning to go into medical school straight after their time in the university. She plans on spending the rest of her life helping other people and trying to find solutions and cures to important diseases, hence the importance of the said trait.

Misao Makimachi, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of her friend. She was always so full of energy and an unbelievable amount of cheer that sometimes, he found it hard to keep up with her. It was the perfect attitude for her chosen career path in advertising considering that the jobs in that field would require more creativity and energy than most people have.

She was obviously enamored with Aoshi Shinomori, another business major who mostly stayed silent and preferred to stand by the sidelines to watch his friends have fun, although the bubbly woman was obviously trying to keep it as discreet as possible and Kenshin believes that the petite woman is too scared to ruin the friendship that they all share because of her feelings.

If there was anyone whom Aoshi so evidently cared about, it was Kaoru Kamiya-the talented violinist who was a great mystery to him. From what Misao had explained to him before, the relationship that the two shared was strictly platonic and that it has been for quite a long time now since the two have been friends since they were children. Of course, he saw her a lot these days because they lived in the same building and, much to their amusement, their assigned parking spaces in the tall building were right beside each other. When they found out, they both laughed at how neither of them ever saw the other, but Kaoru mentioned that they ran in very different circles so it must've been because of that.

Despite all this though, he still missed being with Tomoe—although not to the point of him being as disgustingly morose as he was before. He knows it's been a relatively long time now since they have broken up, but he still craves for closure. He wants to fully understand why she felt that their separation was necessary and, if possible, try to correct whatever it was that she found so wrong so they could pick up where they left off. He never brought it up with anyone, but he thinks that they know what's going on in his head anyway-they were all very perceptive of each other's states of mind, and he found it both amusing and scary at times. He was so used to being close with Sanosuke alone that suddenly being thrust into such a close relationship with a lot of other people was a big change from his usual routine.

Sighing, the redhead packed his things when the monotonous droning of his professor finally ended and they were dismissed for the day. Really, he didn't understand how someone could make such an interesting subject such as Marketing sound so uninteresting. Perhaps when the heavens rained down a generous amount of fun on earth, his professor was standing underneath an umbrella.

He chuckled at the thought as he exited their assigned classroom and stepped into the crowded hallway of the business and economics building of his university. He had nothing major to do for the rest of the day so he was thinking about taking advantage of the extra time he had to prepare for their weekly dinner. Apparently, Tuesdays were labeled as Taco Tuesdays and this week, he was the one assigned to host the intimate meal among all of them.

"What are you grinning about, Red?" a familiar cheerful voice suddenly said beside him.

Surprised, he turned to see a pair of bright sapphire orbs looking up at him, her gentle smile lighting up her heart-shaped face. "You know, I think I'm never going to get used to you showing up without warning. You're like a mushroom."

"A mushroom?" She laughed. "How original."

"And 'red' isn't?"

"Touché." She acquiesced.

They had to stop for a bit to make room for a group of rowdy football players, wisely avoiding their muscled bodies from crashing into them. Once they've passed by, Kaoru and Kenshin continued their walk to get outside of the building.

"How was French?" He asked lightly.

She shrugged. "Same as always. Though I'm having trouble with conjugations. I've never been good with those. I was horrible at it when I was studying Spanish."

"I still don't understand why you're taking so many language courses." He mused. "Isn't music supposed to be a universal language?"

"Yes, but it'll be a bit hard for me to ask for directions to my hotel by playing my violin, won't it?" She replied amusedly.

"Ah. A bit ambitious there, aren't we? Already planning to be a worldwide sensation?"

"Of course! I can see it now, actually. Kaoru Kamiya: The Violin Superstar."

He grimaced. "Doesn't sound catchy enough. I don't think your fans would enjoy saying that."

She giggled. "Oh? Do you have any better suggestions, then?"

"That's not fair. You put me on the spot. You've probably been thinking about yours since you were a kid." He pointed out.

They turned another corner and forewent the elevators to go down the three flights of stairs that would lead to the building's lobby. He knew Kaoru never used the elevators at their school. Once, he had asked her why, but she simply smiled and told him that she liked the exercise. He wasn't stupid, though. He knew she had a deeper reason than that, but he didn't want to pry. He knew that Kaoru was the type of person who would tell you what you needed to know at her own pace.

"Need any help with that?" He gestured towards the stack of books she was holding.

"Ever he gentleman, I see." She smiled. "But no, I can manage."

"It's all part of my charm. I know girls all swoon for those types of things." He smiled down at her. "And as part of my everlasting chivalry, I'd like to offer you my skills as a wonderful tutor. I did pretty well when I studied French back in my sophomore year."

"Oh? And what will you get in return for this oh-so-gallant offer of yours?" She asked amusedly.

"What makes you think I want something in return? Am I not allowed to help a friend?"

"You're a guy, Kenshin Himura. And you're a business major. I know how your mind works."

He laughed. "You know, one day, I might just prove you wrong." He looked down at her with bright violet orbs as they went down the last flight of stairs. "Sadly, today is not that day."

"I knew it." She chuckled. "Alright, Mr. Business Man, what do you want?"

"Oh nothing too grand. I was thinking maybe we could have Taco Tuesday in your apartment tonight?" He requested. "My place is kind of messy. I had to review for an exam last night and... Well, you know what it's like."

She sighed. "Yeah, I do."

"So?" He asked as he pushed the glass doors open for her, which revealed a bright courtyard where students were busy going about their business. "Do we have a deal, then?"

"Sure. That sounds fair." She replied happily. "To be honest, I think you're getting the short end of the stick here. I don't think you understand just how horrible I am with conjugations."

"I'm a good teacher. I'm sure we can work something out."

"You do have all the ingredients for the tacos, right? I don't have classes anymore, but I was planning on practicing in my apartment this afternoon."

He was fully intent on answering her question, but a familiar pair of surprised brown eyes caught his attention at the other end of the courtyard. It's been a while since he last saw his ex and his chest constricted at seeing her standing there among her group of friends who were busy chatting happily around her. Seeing him standing there must've shocked her as well based on the way she was looking at him.

"Go." Kaoru said from beside him when she noticed what caught his attention. "Talk to her. You haven't seen her for a while now, and I really think you should." She smiled gently before leaning into him to give him a conspiratorial whisper. "And I promise not to tell the others."

He chuckled at her silliness but he still felt slightly guilty for completely forgetting that his friend was standing right beside him. "No, come on. I—"

She grinned. "Just talk to the woman, Red. I'll meet you back at my apartment. Don't forget to bring the taco stuff!" She called out as she walked away from him, her ponytail swinging with every step that she took.

He looked away from the blue-eyed woman and swung the messenger bag he had further up on his right shoulder, steeling himself for what he was going to say to the woman who, unfortunately, still held his heart-not that he'd say that to anyone because it was such a disgusting thing to say out loud considering he was filled with testosterone and all that. Fortunately though, seeing her wasn't as painful as before. He still loved her, but he was finally starting to move on from the relationship that they shared. Now, all he wanted was closure which could be brought by her honest admission of why she broke up with him in the first place.

Tomoe was walking towards him with a gentle smile on her face, moving with grace and poise as she always has and her hair hanging loosely off of her shoulders. The sight was so familiar and he strongly believed that out of the two of them, it was him who had changed so much from the last time that they had met.

Lately, he found himself feeling more relaxed and a bit free to move as he wanted. Back when he was with Tomoe, he remembered how he always second-guessed his every move to make sure that his actions would be at par with the way that the woman beside him moved. It was unnerving at times, but he didn't mind it then, and he certainly didn't mind feeling that way once more-especially with the smile she was giving him right at that moment.

"Hey." She greeted softly once they were close enough to each other.

"Hey." He replied nervously.

They were bathed in awkward silence for a while, both of them not knowing how to react or what to say next in a situation such as theirs. "So, uh-how've you been?" He asked.

"I've been really good." She smiled. "Same old classes and all." She paused and gave him a quick once-over before continuing. "And you? You look great! I didn't know wearing your hair like that would look so much better on you. You used to always tie it up really high on your head." She pointed out, referring to the low ponytail that his hair was gathered into.

"Yeah, uh—" he stammered as he touched the soft hair tie that was holding his red locks together. "It was Kaoru's suggestion." He chuckled. "Actually, it was more of her forcing me into this. She threatened to cut my hair if I didn't stop wearing it like hers."

Tomoe's eyes dulled a bit, but her smile remained plastered on her face. "You two seem to be getting pretty close. She's very good friends with my brother. She's a great person."

"Yeah, she is." He agreed. "She told me about her and Enishi before and I've heard them practice together once or twice. Their chemistry up there is incredible."

"It really is." She paused. "Do you spend time with her often, then?"

"Yeah, I guess. We apparently live in the same building and we didn't even know until about a month ago." He chuckled. "And her friends are great too. Somehow, Sano and I got dragged into their circle and we've all been hanging out since. It's a huge change, but I can't say I don't like it."

"You do seem like you've changed a lot from when I last saw you." She mused. "Not that it's a bad thing. It suits you."

"Thanks." He replied. "It feels better too. I didn't think being part of such a big group would be a good thing, although they have a tendency to be loud. It drives me crazy sometimes."

"I can imagine."

"So... Are you dating anyone?" He backpedaled. "Not that I have a right to ask or anything, I just—well, I—"

Tomoe laughed and he smiled at hearing the familiar tinkle of her voice. "I don't mind the question, Kenshin, don't worry. Anyway, I'm not. Well, not yet at least. I don't think I'm ready for anything like that."

"I know how you feel." He sighed.

She gave him a curious glance and suddenly the awkward silence between them became almost unbearable. Tomoe looked behind her when she heard one of her friends calling her and saw them gesturing that they had to go.

She looked back up at Kenshin. "I guess I should go."

"Yeah, I guess you should." He replied a bit morosely. "I'll see you around."

"Yeah. And Kenshin?" She called as she stepped away from him. He looked back at her eagerly. "Don't be a stranger, okay? Just because we broke up doesn't mean that we couldn't be friends."

His chest fluttered and he smiled at what she said, hope blossoming in his chest when he realized that she was open to speaking with him a bit more. "Got it." He said simply.

She gave him one last smile and turned back to her friends, and he watched her go with a beaming smile on his face. Once she was out of sight, he faced the other direction and walked towards their building's parking lot, forcing himself to not speak or dance happily after their first good conversation since their break-up.

He didn't even need to turn on the radio on the drive back to his apartment building since he was too busy replaying what happened again and again in his head. Even the slight traffic that he encountered on his way out of the parking lot didn't ruin his good mood. All in all, he was having a good day and he was relishing every moment of it.

It only took him twenty minutes to reach Easton and another five to park his black vehicle. Since most of the students still had classes for the day, there was no line for the elevator and he found himself in his own two-bedroom apartment in no time. He lazily dropped his bag onto his couch and went straight to his bedroom to grab his laptop and charger before heading to the kitchen to get all the ingredients they would need to prepare for taco night, which were still conveniently placed in the two brown shopping bags they were placed in the day before when he dropped by the grocery.

It was a bit of a struggle to open his door while juggling all the stuff he was holding, and it was even harder for him to press the down button on the elevator to get to Kaoru's floor, but by some unimaginable miracle, he managed to get there without dropping anything. His next challenge was how to get her to open the door, because he was pretty sure that she was immersed with practicing based on the soft sound of the playing violin that he could hear from inside her apartment.

He knocked on the door with his left foot and waited patiently for her to grant him entrance, but he didn't hear any indication that he was heard by the violinist. After about five minutes of standing there with the amount of things he was holding, he finally decided to try to open the doorknob since his arms were beginning to feel the strain from carrying so many things at one time. He may be the captain of their university's kendo team, but all men had their limits.

The redhead was pleasantly surprised to find the door unlocked, and he led himself into the spacious living room of his friend's apartment unit. He saw Kaoru's back as she happily played her instrument in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved, one-shouldered knitted sweater, her hair tied messily into a bun so it wouldn't get in her way. Her tiny feet were also bare to make her feel more relaxed.

"You know, leaving your door unlocked like that is a perfect invitation for trouble."

Startled at his sudden presence, Kaoru immediately stopped her practice to look at the redhead who was struggling with his things. She smiled at the sight of him and replied. "Not when you're expecting someone with the knowledge that that someone wouldn't dare to cause trouble in my apartment." She saw him lift one of his arms to get a better grip on one of the brown bags that was filled with food and raised a brow at him amusedly. "Need any help with that?"

"Just a bit." He grunted sarcastically.

She quickly but gently placed her instrument down on her yellow couch and walked over to where he was standing to kick his shoes off so he wouldn't dirty the cream-colored carpet that was spread out over her living room's floor. "You just asked a girl to help you carry something. What happened to your epic chivalry?"

"It disappears when I know I have no one to impress." He smiled as he handed her one of the bags. "Doesn't really matter when no one can see my efforts, does it?"

She scoffed. "Are you saying I'm not special enough to deserve your gallantry, then?"

"Of course not." He smirked. "I just can't imagine ever having the ability to make you swoon."

Kaoru laughed and led him to her kitchen where they both placed the groceries on her kitchen table. "Well, you're right about that, Mr. Himura. Though you never know, I happen to be full of surprises."

"That," he pointed out, "is unbelievably true."

"I'm glad you agree." She looked through the bags that he brought and sent him a curious look when she didn't find any alcoholic drinks. "Did you forget the vodka? Aren't we supposed to have margaritas tonight?"

He shook his head. "No, Sanosuke's bringing the booze. Apparently he discovered some Mexican thing called _cerveza_. He wants us to taste it and bathe him with glory afterwards."

"He does know that _cerveza's_ just a Spanish term for beer, right?"

"Yeah, but let's not ruin it for him. He's been looking forward to this since Saturday and you know how he gets when he's disappointed over something."

"Unfortunately, I do." She replied. "Anyway, it's still pretty early. I was surprised you came down at this time, actually. I would've thought you'd spend your time somewhere else 'til around 6 or so."

"Are you shooing me away, Kaoru Kamiya?" He asked with a feigned look of hurt on his face.

She scrunched her nose. "A little bit, yeah. I enjoy my solitude very much, for your information."

He scoffed. "Why be alone when you can be with me and my undeniable charm?"

"You're so full of it." She laughed as they both stepped back into her living room.

"Seriously, though. If you need some alone time I can go back up and come over at around 5 or 6."

She smiled. "No, it's alright. As long as you don't mind hearing me practice, then feel free to make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks. I have to catch up on a few papers I need to submit by Friday, so I figured I'd do it here."

"Catch up or start writing?" She chuckled.

He grinned. "I'm not even going to answer that."

She picked up her violin from where she left it on the couch and flipped the clearbook she had on a little black stand to the piece she had chosen to work on for the rest of the day. Before she started though, she looked at Kenshin who was setting up his laptop on the wooden desk she had beside the door to her guest bedroom. "You can use the desk in my room, if you want. This thing screeches like hell and I don't want to damage your ears or anything."

"No, it's alright. I'm sure my hearing will be fine." He smiled back at her. "Go ahead and practice already. I'll be fine right here."

With one last smile, Kaoru turned away from him and faced the floor-to-ceiling window that was directly across her apartment's door. She made a few taps on her laptop so she can hear the sounds of the piano that she would be accompanying with the music from her violin.

Her class was doing a tribute to The Beatles that week, and they were tasked to perform their own renditions of any of the band's songs. Seeing as she adored the band, she was familiar with most of their work and she had tried to perform it herself before—although she had to do it in private because figuring out how to properly translate the music of one instrument to another was quite difficult. The only problem she had now was choosing between two of her favorite songs. She's planning on playing either "Here Comes the Sun" or "Blackbird".

She could hear the faint tapping of keys from Kenshin's laptop and the sound of her heater's faint vibrations, so she took a deep breath to zone it all out and focus on playing her instrument, letting the notes flow through her as she dragged her bow across the violin's string. It wasn't long before her attention was focused solely on her music, and she felt the lightness of "Here Comes the Sun" flow through her completely, thus shutting herself out from the rest of the world and taking her to a place that only she can reach.

When the song ended, she turned back to the laptop on her couch and selected the piano rendition of "Blackbird", not even bothering to pay attention to anything else as she closed her eyes and started making her violin sing. She sang the lyrics in her head as the notes surrounded the room and she felt a bit disappointed after she played it. She could play that song for hours on end, but that wouldn't be a productive way of spending her first free afternoon in three weeks.

She placed her violin down on the couch again and reviewed the sheet music, making a few adjustments to it to make it flow smoother.

"Those were really good." Kenshin remarked gently, unsure if it was safe for him to talk as he didn't want to bother her.

She briefly looked back at him to give him a soft smile before turning back to what she was doing. "Thanks. We need to present our own rendition of a Beatles song this week. I'm having a bit of trouble perfecting it."

"Wow, I didn't know music majors do something as fun as that. I thought all of you were being trained to play classical music."

"We're allowed to have fun too, you know." She chuckled. "Besides, I love the classics, but it gets annoying after having to listen to it day in and day out."

"I... am not going to say anything to that. I value my life, thank you very much."

She stretched and picked up the pieces of paper she was writing on and decided to sit down on the floor so she could continue working on them on her coffee table. She'd sit on one of the single couches, but having to lean down too far would make her back sore. "Which did you like better?"

The redhead was surprised at the question, and frankly he wasn't sure if he should answer her or not since he didn't want to offend her. She looked up at him when he remained silent and scoffed playfully when she saw his reaction. "You don't have to be scared, Red. I won't eat you alive or anything." She raised a brow at him. "Do you even know what I just played? Sorry, but I'm going to have to shoot you if you don't know The Beatles."

"Of course I do. Why do you think I have all of their vinyls displayed back in my place?"

"How should I know if you're not one of those pretentious bastards who buys those things to make them seem cooler?" She chuckled.

"I'm not and I'm offended that you would even think that I'm a pretentious bastard." He paused to think about what he would answer to her earlier question, trying to remember which of the two pieces struck him stronger than the other. "Personally, I liked "Here Comes the Sun" better. Don't even bother asking me why. I wouldn't know what to say, and I don't want to sound stupid."

She giggled. "Noted. And frankly, I agree. I like playing it a bit better than "Blackbird"."

When she finished making the necessary adjustments, she leaned back against the couch and looked up to see what he was up to. She was curious as to why his office chair was turned completely in her direction and when she glanced at his laptop's screen, she noticed the document he opened to presumably write his paper was empty.

"Are you really going to be okay with working there? The offer to use my room that I gave earlier still stands, you know." She said guiltily.

He shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'm just waiting for a few reference materials to finish downloading."

That, he thought to himself, was a boldfaced lie. What really happened was that he swiveled around to watch her once the first notes of her violin rang around the room and he enjoyed watching her move with her instrument. He found it interesting to hear such beautiful music from someone who looked so unrefined—not that her current state of dress was a bad thing, she was simply the type of woman who managed to look beautiful despite being in such comfortable clothing, and that most certainly didn't mean that she wasn't beautiful when she was dressed in something a bit more suitable to wear in public. It's just that he had never seen anyone who moved and acted as relaxed as she did, yet be filled with so much passion and grace that it would be impossible for you to not be entranced by her actions—especially when she was playing her violin.

Of course, he didn't want her to know that he opted to watch her instead of starting to work on his paper. He was pretty sure that she'd feel guilty about distracting him and he certainly didn't want to not be able to hear her music because of the thick walls of her bedroom. Besides, he felt that he wasn't entitled to such a privilege as getting to see what was inside her room yet. How it's decorated and the things that were scattered over a person's personal quarters provides other people with such intimate knowledge, and he was not in a position to see all of those yet.

"If you're sure." She shrugged and stood to walk to her kitchen. "I'm going to make some tea. Would you like some?"

"Sure. What do you have?" He called out.

He heard the sound of a few cupboards opening and closing before she called a list of flavors that she had. "There's chamomile, jasmine, raspberry, English Breakfast, aaanddd Peppermint."

"I'll have peppermint, please."

"Milk or honey?"

"Honey, thanks." He said as he turned back to the desk he was using to finally start doing his assignment. She returned five minutes later with two steaming mugs of tea and placed one of them carefully beside him.

"Thanks." He smiled gratefully.

"No problem." She shrugged, already making her way back towards her spot to continue working on her project as well.

The rest of their afternoon was spent much in the same fashion, with both of them working on their own projects and sharing a few lighthearted conversations every now and then. Their work ethics were very similar and they both agreed that they should study together more often.

Once five o'clock rolled by, Kaoru reminded Kenshin to inform their friends of the change in venue for that night's dinner. They put away their things and started working on the tacos that they'd all be eating that night, where Kenshin discovered that the violinist could _not _be trusted with anything more complicated than a microwave and toaster.

"How the hell do you manage to host the Chinese dinners we have?" He asked as he busied himself with fixing the taco sauce that Kaoru ruined.

She stood beside him guiltily. "Swear not to tell the others?"

"Fine."

"I get Chinese take out and put them on nice plates. Then I heat everything up before you guys get here." She admitted with softly.

He turned to face her and took in the redness of her face and neck and the awkward fidgeting of her hands before he burst out laughing, his eyes tearing up from the sheer amusement of it all.

"You don't have to be so fucking crude about it." She hissed, stepping away from him to check on the taco shells he told her to toast.

It took him a while before his laughter simmered down to soft chuckles, and he grinned at the way she was still blushing hotly as she tried to avoid looking at him. "Alright, alright." He said as he cleared his throat to stop himself from laughing some more. "I swear I won't tell."

"Whatever." She muttered.

He decided to take pity on her and change the topic, but his amusement still shone brightly in his purple orbs. "So does that mean you always get take out whenever you eat here?"

Kaoru sighed and bent down to grab the plates they'd be using for that night. "What do you think?"

"Well now that I know your dirty little secret, you're free to come up anytime to eat real food." He offered.

"Thanks, but no thanks." She scoffed. "I'm not going there just so you can rub this in my face."

"I swear I won't. I can even help you out the next time you have to host the dinner." He said sincerely.

She turned to him to check if he was sincere with his offer since she was really, really tempted to accept it considering her horrible cooking skills. With a sigh, she gave in to her desire and nodded. "If you're sure won't mind, then I think I'll take you up on that."

He smiled and he was about to turn back to the now simmering sauce when he heard her speak again.

"What do _you_ get from it, though?" She asked dubiously.

He chuckled. "Just because I'm a business major doesn't mean I need to get something out of everything I offer, Kaoru."

"Still. It doesn't seem fair to hassle you when you won't get anything out of it."

He glanced at her briefly and chuckled again. "Fine. If you're so into bargains then just allow me to hang out here every now and then."

"Huh? Why would you want to do that?" She asked curiously.

"I like your place." He shrugged. "It feels so... homey, for some reason. And I guess I like having someone to talk to when I study."

"You _do _know that I practice most of the time, right?"

"Of course. Which is why I want to hang around. I like hearing you play, and listening to you beats the music I have on my study playlist."

She smiled. "Well alright, then. As long as you don't mind."

"Actually, I'm more worried about you minding _my_ presence. I'm charming and all that, but I wouldn't want to intrude if you want some alone time."

"Nah, it's okay. You're giving me free food and I'm giving you free and private concerts. That sounds fair enough to me."

"Great. Now that that's settled, come here and taste this, will you?" He held out half a spoonful of the sauce he was working on.

She walked towards him and opened her mouth to taste the concoction and grimaced at the heat of the thick liquid. Still, the pain on her taste buds didn't distract her from how good the sauce tasted. "This is absolutely brilliant." She said. "I love it."

"Okay, good." He smiled gratefully. "Now go make yourself useful by setting the table. I'll take care of these."

"Are you sure? I can wash them while you sit back and watch TV or something." She gestured towards the dirty cooking utensils that were scattered all around the kitchen.

"No, I got it. The others should be here soon, we might as well get everything ready." He turned to gather all the pots and pans he'll be washing. "So what movie are we watching tonight?"

"I honestly don't know. Misao's bringing it and she said she wanted it to be a surprise."

He hmmed in response and went about his task and so did she. It wasn't long before He heard Kaoru started playing music from artists he wasn't familiar with, although he liked how they sounded very much. Most of the songs had a good beat and the lyrics and melody made him shiver in a good way. He liked the genre and he had to remember to ask her to give him a copy of the songs in her playlist.

"The man of the hour has arrived!" He heard Sanosuke yell from the living room while he was drying his hands. It only took the man a few seconds to get into the kitchen.

Surprised at his presence, Sano asked. "Kenshin? What the fuck are ya doing here? Ya been here long?"

"A bit. I did my paper while we were waiting for you to get here. Is anyone else outside already?"

"Yeah. Ice man." He replied nonchalantly, opening the fridge to busy himself with putting all of the bottles of alcohol that he got for the occasion.

The redhead walked out and saw Kaoru and Aoshi talking by the door with the violinist giggling at something that the usually stoic man had said.

"Aoshi." He nodded towards the two.

Aoshi gave him a brief nod to acknowledge his greeting, but went back to the conversation he was having wifh Kaoru.

About half an hour later, all their friends had arrived and the food and drinks that were prepared were passed around them as they all made themselves comfortable in the spacious living room. Misao was busy plugging in her hard drive into the USB slot on the violinist's flat screen TV.

The Mexican movie, much to Misao's dismay, had no subtitles. So the group chose to cheer her up by making up the English translations of the dialogues themselves, laughing and joking with each other as they did so. The beer that Sano brought was perfect for the vibe that surrounded the apartment and the tacos that Kenshin made were a huge hit among the group.

Since all of them had classes the next day, they all made sure to not get drunk enough to have a bad hangover when they wake up. Misao and Megumi took care of the dirty dishes while the others lounged around the living room.

"Oi, Kenshin." Sano called. "What're ya doin' for lunch tomorrow?"

"I don't know yet. Why? Need money to pay for your meal again?"

The tall man scoffed. "No. There's this new bistro that opened up outside the campus. Wanna go there for lunch or something?"

"Yeah, I heard about that." Megumi interrupted. "Mind if I join you? I was planning on going there myself. Might as well go there with you two idiots."

"Anything for the fox lady." Sano winked, laughing when the Biology major rolled her eyes snootily at his behavior.

Kenshin looked around to see if anyone else would like to join them, but he got distracted when he didn't see Kaoru and Aoshi standing in the room with them. Instead, they were both out on the balcony, standing next to each other as they leaned on the railing together. Neither of them were smiling, so he guessed they were talking about something serious-an expression that he rarely saw on the cheerful girl's face.

He turned to Misao who was busy going through her phone on the sofa. "Hey." He called softly. The petite woman looked at him uninterestedly and he gestured towards the balcony. "What do you think they're talking about?"

She shrugged and turned back to what she was doing as if his question was of no importance at all. "Hell if I know. Those two have a world of their own and none of us know what goes on in their heads."

He paused. "Are Aoshi and Kaoru... Dating?"

Misao choked on her laughter right after he said what he did. "Of course not! Those two are like brother and sister and to even think-" more laughter. "Oh god. That'd be like incest. That's so disgusting." She paused, put down her phone, and looked up at him with mischief shining bright in her eyes. "Why? Jealous?"

Kenshin's eyes widened and he stammered. "No, I- I was just curious. They seem to be together often these days."

"That's just the way they are, silly. They've been friends for so long it's kind of hard to think of them without the other." She explained. "They've been through a lot."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but I'm not about to tell you anything. Even I don't know the whole story myself, and no one's dared to ask. We just know bits and pieces."

He nodded and gave the couple outside one last curious look and glanced back at Misao. "Anyway, would you like to join us for lunch tomorrow at that new bistro outside of campus? I can pick you up, if you want."

"Nah." She shook her head. "Thanks, but I have class at that time. Just let me know if it's any good and I'll go there myself some other time."

After about another hour of just hanging out in Kaoru's apartment, her guests decided that it was time for them to leave so they could all get some rest to prepare for the next day of classes. Sano and Megumi left first, followed by Aoshi who left with Misao since he was going to drop her off at her building.

Kaoru gave him a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek when he told her he'd leave as well after he gathered his stuff in his arms. She led him to the door and noticed his discomfort.

"Do you need any help with those?" She asked politely. "I can go up with you, if you want."

"No, it's alright. I have it."

She smiled softly and nodded at him. "So, does our bargain still stand, Mr. Himura?"

"Yes it does, Ms. Kamiya." He replied amusedly. "We can start tomorrow, if you'd like. You can come over at around 7. I have classes and practice, so I should be home by then."

"I won't have time tomorrow. Maybe Thursday? If that's okay with you?"

"Sure." He nodded, noticing the somber look that she had in her eyes. He wanted to ask her what was wrong, but decided not to because he was pretty sure that she wouldn't tell him anyway. So, with a final smile, he left her to her own devices and went up to his apartment to get some sleep. For some odd reason, the roller coaster ride that his emotions went through that day made him feel really tired. He didn't even bother to shower before he changed into his pajamas and went straight to bed.

He woke up in a good mood the next morning. The previous day ended on such a good note that he was actually looking forward to the cold day ahead. He showered and dressed warmly to ward off the chill that surrounded them at this time of the year.

It was while he was preparing the things he would need to make his breakfast when he suddenly remembered the bargain that he struck with the violinist the day before. As this would be their first breakfast together, he wanted to make sure that she would enjoy the meal that he would cook for the two of them. Unsure of what she would like to eat, he decided to call her in case she'd have any preferences. After a couple of rings, she answered.

"Hey Kenshin." She said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"I couldn't think of anything to cook for breakfast. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

She paused and he was about to ask her again when she answered a bit more quietly than her previous tone. "Actually, I won't be able to come up there today. Sorry."

"Why? Are you planning on burning your kitchen down?" He chuckled.

Kaoru laughed. "Hey! I'd have you know that I can work a toaster just fine."

"Woman. The last time you did that, you burnt the bread." He answered, feigning the seriousness in his voice. "I can make us French Toast if that's what you feel like having."

"No, I- I have some things I need to do, so it might take me some time."

"Oh? Need any help?"

"It's alright. I'll be fine."

She sounded weird, but he decided to just shrug it off and ask her when they met at their building's parking lot since they always left the building together. Most of their classes started at the same time and he knew that their Wednesday class schedules matched.

He made himself a couple of butter toasted bread and went about his morning routine calmly, knowing that he had more time than usual to get ready for the day. As expected, he saw Kaoru opening the locks in her car just as he walked towards his.

"So did you finish what you were doing?" He asked politely.

She looked up at him, as though his presence threw her completely off guard. For some reason, she was so jumpy and different that morning and he wanted to know why.

"Yeah, I did." She smiled softly.

He looked at her carefully to see if there was indication as to why she was behaving the way she was. Despite the fact that he's only known her for a little while, he was already used to what she was like, and he had to admit that he liked it. To see her acting so uncharacteristically was of great concern to him-even though he knew he didn't have the right to. At least, not at this point of their friendship.

"Is there anything wrong, Kaoru?"

"No, of course not, silly." She giggled. "What made you think that?"

There. That was a lie and they both knew it. The question now was why.

"You don't have your violin case." He observed before grinning. "Planning on playing hooky, are we?"

"Yeah, actually." She chuckled, her eyes not glowing as they usually did whenever she did so.

Curious, he decided to pry. "Wow, really? Why?"

"I just have an errand to run, is all."

"You can ride with me, if you want. I can drop you off to wherever it is you need to go to."

"Must we do this every morning?" She sighed playfully.

"Every day until you realize that taking one car instead of two since we're both going to the same place anyway would one, be a smart decision. Two, save us both some gas. And three, be a smart decision."

"And once again, it's not going to be that way because one, it would be a hassle. Two, it would mean that one of us would have to pick the other up. And three, it would be a hassle."

He laughed. "Fine. If that's what the lady wishes."

"It is what the lady wishes." She grinned. "Now go, you're going to be late for class and I have to go somewhere."

They both got in their respective vehicles and started driving out of the basement. Suddenly remembering their plans for lunch, he rolled down his window and gestured for her to do the same. "We're planning on going go the bistro that just opened for lunch. Would you like to join us?"

She shook her head. "No, sorry. Maybe next time?"

"Yeah, alright. See you later, then."

With one last smile, she nodded at him and rolled her window up before speeding away to the opposite direction that he was headed to.

He didn't understand why she acted so oddly that morning when she seemed to be perfectly fine the day before. As far as he knew, nothing significant happened that would make her seem so somber. The only thing that he could remember that was out of place was the conversation that she and Aoshi had while everyone was loafing around her apartment after they had all finished eating-and no matter the amount of his curiosity, there was no way he was going to approach the man with his questions. He was just far too creepy for his liking and besides, he doubted that he was going to get any information from the business major.

His classes passed by him without any significant events and a very significant amount of work to be done. He sighed in relief when his final class for that morning finally finished thus signaling the start of his three hour break-a break that he fully intended to enjoy with his friends before he gets thrust into the depths of his academic life once again.

"Oi!" He heard someone yell from behind him. He rolled his eyes at his rambunctious behavior and the way he unceremoniously pushed people aside just so he could pass by.

"Sanosuke." He greeted.

"'Ya can't be bothered to sound a bit happier than that? Whenever you say my name 'ya sound like someone died or something."

"It's because if you don't stop behaving the way you do, eventually someone WILL die."

Sano scoffed. "Whatever. Anyway, 'ya headin' for the bistro now, right? Mind if I roll with?"

"Do I even have a choice?" He sighed.

"Guess 'ya know me too well, eh?" The tall man grinned. "Anyway, are we passin' by for Missy or is she riding with the fox?"

"No. She didn't go to school today. She said she had an errand to run." He explained as they made their way to the parking lot.

"What?! That little nerd?! Has the world ended or something?"

"You're overreacting, Sanosuke. As always." Kenshin muttered. "She's allowed to not attend her classes if she chooses not to. YOU always do it."

"Yeah, but that's me and I don't give a shit about this. Missy, on the other hand, actually cares about her attendance and all'a that crap." He turned to his friend. "Did you at least ask her what that "errand" is?"

The redhead shook his head. "We left the building at the same time, but I didn't ask anything aside from whether she'll be coming to school or not. It's none of my business anyway."

"None of your business?" Sano scoffed again. "I think you have a _right_ to make it your business. Seriously, you should just start dating her. With the way you two've been hanging around together, it seems like you already are anyway."

"We're just friends, Sano. How many times do I have to tell 'ya that I'm not ready to date? And I have no plans of dating Kaoru."

"Yet, little man. Never forget the "yet"."

"You're insufferable." Kenshin grunted, unlocking his vehicle so the two of them could step in and start making their way to their lunchtime venue.

They both threw their bags onto the backseat of the car so they could be more comfortable, and the redhead increased the volume of his radio in the hopes that his friend would get the hint and stay quiet during the drive to the newly-opened bistro. He thanked all the gods when Sano chose to just scroll through his phone while he drove, and thanked them even more for not having to go through the heavy traffic that the lunch time rush usually brought.

It only took them half an hour to navigate through the streets to find the restaurant and park the car. Since it just opened recently, there weren't a lot of customers scrambling around the area and only a few tables were occupied. They hung their coats on the coat hangers located by the door and they were pleasantly surprised to find that the establishment was warmer than the ones within their university campus.

They booth they selected was by the window, giving them a clear view of the snowy ground outside. They were immediately approached by a cheerful waiter who gave them a couple of menus and asked what they would like to drink. Unsurprisingly, Sano didn't even have to think when he ordered a bottle of beer. Kenshin, on the other hand, opted to go for a hot cup of tea to ward off the chill that he had acquired on their way there.

"Where's Megumi?" He asked quietly once they were settled on opposite sides of the comfortable booth.

"She said she'd be a few minutes late. The woman's probably busy conning someone out of getting their dead bodies or something."

Kenshin cringed. "We're about to have lunch, Sanosuke. Is that really an appropriate topic to bring up?"

"What? Just 'cause you've been acting like a pansy the past couple of months means that you're turning squeamish now too?" He sneered. "'Ya might as well grow yourself a vagina and save all of us the trouble."

"You know, I'm really getting tired of your insults."

"Well you're gonna keep gettin' 'em until you man up, so I suggest you do it soon."

"And for once, just this one time, I fully support his decision." Megumi said, seemingly coming out of the blue.

Startled, Sano commented. "And 'ya wonder why we call you fox? 'Ya keep comin' outta nowhere like you're stalking your prey or something."

"Don't blame your ignorance on me, rooster head. Besides, all of that hair of yours gets all the nourishment your brain needs which makes it impossible for you to notice what's going on around you."

She gestured for Kenshin to scoot over so she can sit down on the edge of the cushioned seat and waved her hand to get the attention of one of the waiters. Once one of the servers appeared with another menu, Megumi quickly ordered her drink and took it upon herself to order three of the bistro's bestsellers.

"So we can't even decide what we're going to have for lunch now, fox?"

She scoffed. "Not when you're gonna get something completely mundane and common like steak and mashed potatoes or spaghetti or something."

"Hey! There's nothing wrong with a good plate of steak!"

"This is a _new _bistro and we're here to see if they're any good, so it's only reasonable that we order their best dish. Clearly your hair has once again impaired your common sense."

"What the hell do you got against my hair, woman? You're always on about it." He grinned mischievously. "Oh I get it. You're doing the whole kindergarten kind of thing where you tease me on and on but you're really secretly in love with me."

"Oh please. It just annoys me so much. That amount of hair is so completely abnormal."

"You take that back you—"

"Megumi has a point, Sanosuke." Kenshin interrupted calmly before the two could pounce on each other again as they usually did. "Their best dish _would _determine if this really is a good place or not."

Sano scoffed. "Whatever. Go ahead and take her side, you pathetic people-pleaser."

The redhead rolled his eyes at his friend's childish behavior and pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the headache that was starting to build at the back of his head. Sometimes he really just wished that the two could get along. Perhaps it was really divine intervention that pushed the two of them to survive dating each other for three months.

Their table was bathed in tense silence as they waited for their food, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when the waiter brought three plates of Chicken Française along with a few other side dishes. The smell of the food was intoxicating and made their mouths water, and the first bite they took did not disappoint. It made their resolution to invite their other friends to eat there soon.

"So, how did your anatomy class go, Megumi?" The kendo captain asked politely, deciding to create a bit of small talk so the three of them could actually enjoy their lunch.

She sighed. "Same-old, same-old. We studied the digestive system today and it was a good thing the corpse I got lived a relatively healthy lifestyle. The others weren't as lucky."

Kenshin regretted bringing up the conversation since her answer was something that wasn't really fit for meals. Instead of asking her to go into detail about how her exploration of the human body went, he wisely decided to stay quiet for fear of hearing more graphic explanations of what she saw.

They finished their lunch relatively quickly and the silence eventually eased up so they could actually enjoy their time together before they had to attend their next classes. They asked for their best dessert since they still had a bit of time before they all had to go.

"Hey." Megumi said quietly after a while. "Where's Kaoru? I would've thought you two would be attached at the hip or something with the way you've been acting these days." She said to Kenshin.

"We _do _live in the same building, Megumi, and we're good friends, so it's natural for us to be seen together a lot." He explained.

"Yeah. Friends." Sano muttered. "I still don't understand why you won't just ask her out already. You're wasting your time, you know. Neither of you are getting any younger."

"You talk as though we're both in our forties." Kenshin commented. "Anyway, she said she had an errand to run this morning. She told me she'd be skipping her classes too."

"Skipping her—" the Biology major's eyes widened as though she suddenly remembered something important. "Wait, what day is it today?"

"Wednesday." Sano replied.

"No, you idiot. I mean what date is it today?"

"Well you should've been clearer. Day and Date are two different things and—"

"It's the 21st." The smaller man interrupted yet again to avoid the conflict.

Megumi's eyes widened even more and she put her spoon down so she could cover her face with her hands. "Stupid, stupid, completely stupid!" she groaned. "Fuck, how the hell could I have forgotten?!"

The two men looked at each other at the woman's sudden change of mood. It was Sano who dared to ask the question, calmly this time so he could find out the reason behind her frustration. "What did you forget?"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" She continued to whisper to herself, her hand now running through her hair harshly as a sort of punishment for forgetting something that was obviously very important.

"Megumi?" Kenshin called.

She sighed and looked out the window with completely morose eyes, but the way her hands were clenched was a clear indication of how frustrated she still was with herself. The two men patiently waited for her to get over her irritation with herself and explain why she was acting that way. It took about five minutes before she turned back to them, all of their desserts completely forgotten so they could give her their complete attention.

"Alright." She breathed. "Alright."

She paused and looked at the two of them calculatingly, as if wondering whether she should tell them about what was so special about the 21st for her to beat herself up over it so much.

"Okay," she sighed again. "Since you two are obviously going to be hanging around us more often now, I guess you should know a little bit more about Kaoru." Her eyes flashed. "But you have to swear you won't act any different around her, or I swear to all the gods that I will personally cut your testicles off with a very large knife—not a scalpel, a knife. Without anesthesia." She warned seriously.

They nodded and sat up a bit straighter since what she was about to say was obviously very important. Apart from that, they were both curious about the violinist themselves. Ever since their friendship began, they haven't really learned much about the blue-eyed woman, and they both didn't bother to ask because they knew that she wouldn't tell them anyway.

"Alright." Megumi sighed once more. "Today is Kaoru's father's 15th death anniversary. She's probably over at the cemetery by herself right now, and given the weather, I have no doubt that she's probably freezing herself out there since she usually spends the _entire _day by her father's gravestone."

Kenshin's and Sano's eyes both widened at the woman's admission and they were both silent as they took in what they heard.

"Fifteenth? Then that would mean—"

"Yeah. She lost him when she was seven years old. Since then she's been going there every year. The problem is he doesn't have a mausoleum or anything so she just sits there, freezing, until around six or seven pm." She said sadly. "When we found out, Aoshi just told us to let her be—and we figured since he's known her the longest, then we should really just let her do what she wanted."

"How can she even just _sit _there? The weather's shit at this time of the year." Sano said slowly, still surprised at what he heard.

"I don't know, but somehow… well, she manages. She gets sick the week after, though. That's where we come in." Megumi elaborated. "But Aoshi's there the most. Although now… well, it's his midterm exams so I doubt he'd be able to watch over her like he usually does. And that idiot," she hissed , referring to Kaoru, "never lets us stay any longer than one or two hours."

Kenshin gulped. "And her mom?"

"Passed away when she was born." She said simply. "She's only ever had her Dad and we can't even begin to imagine what it was like for her. Aoshi and his family were really close with Kaoru and her Dad, which explains why they're the closest among all of us. He looks at her like a kid sister, though he never says it because… well, he's Aoshi."

Another pause filled their table as the two men tried to comprehend how Kaoru, at such a young age, managed to be the way she is now.

"How was she even able to—I mean, does she have foster parents or something?"

The biology major shook her head sadly. "As far as we know, she's been passed around from one orphanage and foster family to another. None of us know why she keeps getting transferred, but we think Aoshi knows—not that he'd tell us or anything. We literally had to strangle him to tell us everything two years ago on this same day. She just kept disappearing and getting sick so we figured we had a right to know since we're her friends and we can help."

"So how did she survive, so to speak?" the redhead asked curiously.

"Apparently, her Mom's pretty famous in France for playing the violin and all that. And her Dad—well, we don't really know what her Dad used to do. But anyway, she managed to get her inheritance back when she turned eighteen so the moment she was able to, she left the orphanage and started a life of her own. Even Aoshi didn't know what happened to her for about four years or so since she got transferred too far from where he lived so he couldn't watch over her like he wanted to. His family would've adopted her once her father died, but I think there were some legal issues regarding her custody so obviously, they had no other choice but to let her go."

"Damn." Sano sighed. "I mean—well… damn. That's pretty heavy."

"I know." Megumi commented. "We felt the same way when Aoshi told us. But yeah… she doesn't know that we know so we don't ask her about it. It's obviously very sensitive since she hasn't brought it up in all the years we've known her."

Their desserts lay forgotten as they all digested the information that they got from the long-haired woman in front of them, both of them in complete awe of the blue-eyed woman that wormed her way into their hearts. Given the sensitivity of the topic, they were both certain that they wouldn't dare to broach the topic with her _ever. _All they could do now is to support her and offer her help whenever she'd feel too down or anything like that. God knows they would've ended up in trash bins or something if they had that kind of past.

Seeing her the way they knew her now was inspiring. Despite all of the things that have happened to her, she's always been so serene and cheerful and just… warm, and the knowledge they were given proved that aside from all of those things, Kaoru was also incredibly strong. To have survived something like that was a miracle in itself, and to remain optimistic despite it all was incredible.

Eventually, the three of them had to leave to attend their own classes that afternoon, but the somber mood that the conversation brought them remained with Sano and Kenshin throughout the day. Sano bid him goodbye as soon as they got to campus and told him that he'd walk home instead of catching a ride with the redhead.

It was like Kenshin was in a daze during his classes, but he still took the notes he'd need as a reference for their exams in the near future. He couldn't help but wonder at the depth of the mystery that was Kaoru Kamiya and instead of sating his curiosity, he was even more intrigued by the violinist.

By the time six o'clock rolled by, he gathered his things and went to his car since he was done for the day. His radio remained silent on his drive back to Easton, and it wasn't until he saw Kaoru's car appear behind him did he start paying attention to his surroundings. He parked with haste and pretended to dally around in his car before he got down to buy him time so he could step out of his vehicle the same time that she did.

Kaoru smiled at him from her window and he gave her a soft smile back. They got down at the same time and he patiently waited for her to gather her things and step beside him so they could walk to the elevator together.

"So," he began amicably, paying close attention to her body language. He noticed the slight shivers that were wracking through her body and he wanted to voice out his concern, but he decided not to since she might feel awkward about it. "How did your errand go?"

"It was fine." She replied softly, still with the gentle smile on her face. "How were your classes?"

"Boring, as always." He droned.

She giggled. "You know, for someone who's going to inherit a big shot company, you sound awfully uninterested about your courses."

"Can't help it if your professors sound like they're dead or dying."

"That's just mean." She grinned.

She was behaving as she always was, and to be honest, he didn't expect her to be doing so after the day that she went through. She sniffled and he took it as an opportunity to voice out his concern. "You look like you're about to catch a cold. What _have _you been doing, Kaoru? Did you spend a lot of time outside in this weather?" He saw her tense and decided to add a little bit more into his inquiry to lighten the atmosphere. "Because only idiots do that, you know. Then again, common sense is very rare these days."

"It's not my fault it's snowing." She pointed out. "And please don't compare me to Sano. He's my friend, but that's still offensive."

"I didn't compare you to Sano." He chuckled. "You just presumed that he was either an idiot or lacking in common sense. If anything, _you're _offensive."

"Shut up." She grinned. The elevator dinged and she got off on her floor, giving him a quick goodbye as she walked away from him without even looking back.

Kenshin sighed as he entered his apartment and shook himself out of the mild stupor he'd been in ever since Megumi's revelation. He resolved to take a short nap before he started working on his projects and assignments so he could, hopefully, gain some focus when he wakes up.

His alarm started blaring out three hours later, and he realized that he felt as tired as he was before he napped. Annoyed and very much frustrated with himself for reasons unbeknownst to him, he decided to just put off his schoolwork 'til the next day and sweat his emotions off to a more manageable level. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't want to seem intrusive or anything so he needed a distraction—and nothing distracted him more than the sport that he was so dedicated to.

He changed into clothes that were more suitable for his planned workout and grabbed his bokken, coat, and keys and quickly drove to their university's sports building, where the entire second floor was designed as a dojo to accommodate all of the school's martial artists. Since he was the kendo team's captain, he had a copy of the building's keys in case his team's training would take longer than usual. As a method of security, only the sports teams' captains were given a copy of the keys so he was pretty sure that there would be no one else in the building because of the time.

_Whoosh_. _Thud. Grunt. Whoosh._

"What the—" he muttered to himself when he heard the light noises from the room. There was obviously someone else in there and by the sound of it, it couldn't be any of the other captains that usually used the dojo—that or it _could _be the ghost that the other captains talked about all the time.

Slowly, he made his way towards the entrance to the large room and tried to catch a glimpse of whoever was training inside. He was a bit wary of seeing whoever it was because he was pretty sure that he'd have to reprimand that person for trespassing on grounds he or she had no right to access at this time of the night—a fact that he was quite sure of since he knew all of the other martial artists and none of them usually came here this late.

He was surprised to find that it was a woman who was trespassing on their property, so to speak. It was hard to catch a glimpse of her face because of the fast movements that the katas she was practicing required. Kenshin noted that the woman was good—hell, he could even go so far as to say that she was better than most of the members of his team. It was sad that their university didn't have a women's team for the sport he so loved, but he'd bet all of his money that the woman could easily be the captain if they _did _have one.

The girl paused for a moment to take a breath before moving into her next set of katas, and that moment was all he needed to see who his mystery woman was.

Stunned, he took a sharp intake of breath and watched her carefully. Her movements were strong, but controlled; she was fast on her feet and her arms swung harshly through the air, but everything was done with grace. Her usually gentle blue eyes were sharp and determined as though she was fighting an invisible foe, and he didn't even notice when he ran to parry one of her moves.

She gasped when he appeared from seemingly nowhere and she felt fear course through her body at seeing him there. Still, when the redhead moved to strike her right shoulder, instinct took over and she blocked his bokken and pushed against him to try to hit him back.

The two danced around the dojo, their bokkens blocking each strike that was meant for the other, neither of them willing to give up the fight and lose to the other. Kaoru's stamina was amazing, and Kenshin never expected her to have so much strength. He had always known her as the gentle violinist, and to be with her here—sparring with her and finding that she was a hard opponent to beat, was more than surprising for him. This was a whole other Kaoru, and he was quite sure that no one else knew about this side of her.

They took a short break to take a few sips of water. Kaoru hastily got rid of her shirt that was heavy with her sweat and grabbed her bokken again with only her sports bra and a pair of training pants on. He took his shirt off as well, but neither of them cared about how they looked now—not when there was a huge challenge hanging on the air and the question of who was better was still unanswered.

They were both fast, and their movements were both precise as they tried to find the other's weak points. It was while Kaoru was busy aiming for his head that Kenshin saw his opening, moving his bokken quickly to slash her right hip, but stopping right before it hit her skin.

"I win." He gasped out heavily.

She looked at him fiercely before dropping herself to the ground, resting her toned arms on her knees as she struggled to bring her breathing back to normal. "Seems like it." She breathed.

Kenshin walked towards where their things were and grabbed a couple of water bottles and towels before walking back to their spot and settling himself a few meters from where Kaoru was sitting. He offered her one of the bottles and a towel, both of which she accepted gratefully, but the wariness in her eyes were still there.

It took them a few more minutes before their heartbeats were significantly slower than they were while they were sparring, and their breaths were now normal and calming.

"I didn't know you practiced kendo." Kenshin remarked.

Kaoru looked at him with guarded eyes. "Nobody knows."

"So I'm assuming you want me to keep this a secret?"

"Please." She asked.

Curious, he raised a brow at her. "Why? You're obviously good at it, and you know that sparring with someone can actually make you better. You won't get that if you don't tell people about what you do."

"I know that, but please—I just… Look, just don't tell anyone, okay?"

He paused and took in her pleading gaze. To be honest, he already knew what his answer would be, but he wanted to know the reason behind such a strange request. He was pretty sure that she wouldn't tell him though, so he opted to lighten the atmosphere by asking something else. "How long have you been doing this?"

"This?"

"Kendo. And, you know, sneaking around at ungodly hours of the night to train." He paused. "Speaking of, how did you even manage to get a key to this place? Only captains are given copies of the key to this building and as far as I know, _you're _not a captain."

She sighed. He already knew her big secret, so what was the point of hiding anything else from him? "I nicked Soujirou's."

"Seta? The karate team's captain?"

"Who else?" she muttered. "I grabbed his key when Enishi and I were hanging out with him back in freshman year. It was pretty easy since he was piss ass drunk."

Another tense silence bathed the two of them before Kenshin decided to bring up the huge elephant in the room. "Kaoru?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you keeping this a secret?"

"I have my reasons."

"Are you going to share them?"

As expected, she remained silent and he had to look back at her to see if she was still paying attention to him. Her head was bowed, but he knew that she was still listening—she was just opting to not answer his question.

"Are you training for a competition, then?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"Then why—"

"Look, Kenshin, I have my reasons, okay?" she answered harshly. "You can go tell on me if you want, hell, you can even tell the world, but rest assured that I am not someone you'd like to be enemies with."

Instead of feeling scared, he chuckled and he watched her face go from angry to furious. "You're quite threatening, did you know that?"

She scoffed. "What is it that you want, Himura?"

He smiled. "Nothing. I guess I was just surprised when I saw you here. I won't tell anyone, don't worry; and I'll even let you keep the key you stole from Seta. Just don't murder anyone here, okay? It's my ass on the line."

Kaoru watched him with wide eyes as he stood up to walk back to his training bag and start fixing his things. He put on the clean shirt he brought and fixed his damp hair. Once everything was in place, he slung his bag over his shoulder and turned back to look at her still form.

"You're not going home yet?"

The violinist shook herself out of her stupor and started gathering all of her things into her own training bag. She moved with haste as she put on a fresh shirt and sweater before covering herself with her coat and scarf. It was then that Kenshin remembered that he didn't see another vehicle when he parked his car in front of the building.

"Where's your car?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "Back at Easton. I always leave it there when I come here. Parking a car in front of the sports building in the middle of the night isn't exactly subtle, you know."

"So you walked here?" he said, his voice raising in surprise.

She looked up at him and nodded, not seeing what the problem was since she did this all the time.

"In this weather?!"

"I can take care of myself, Kenshin." She replied calmly.

He scoffed. "You have a fucked up way of _taking care of yourself _if you're out walking in the middle of the night in this weather. It's freezing out there!"

"I'm perfectly aware of that, thanks." She said with annoyance.

Kenshin took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself down since he knew that it would not do to get her riled up—not when their friendship was teetering over the edge of a mountain because of his recent discovery. "I'm sorry. I overreacted. It was a long day."

"It's alright. I understand." She smiled, but the strain was still evident in her voice and in her eyes and he could tell that this was all too heavy for her.

"Come on, you can ride with me. I refuse to be blamed if you get pneumonia or something 'cause I let you walk home with all this snow."

"And here I thought you were concerned about little old me." She joked.

He chuckled and turned to walk out the dojo's door, but he was stopped by a firm grasp on his right arm. Surprised once again by the blue-eyed woman, he turned towards her tense form and called a gentle "Kaoru?"

She expelled a deep breath of air and looked up at him with so many emotions in her blue gaze that he felt like he could drown in those sapphire orbs. "Kenshin, I—I just want to thank you for… you know, keeping this a secret and all. I mean, I know it could get you into trouble if anyone finds out about this and I really don't want to dump my baggage on you, but… well, yeah. Thanks."

He smiled at her gently and removed her hand from his arm. "It's no problem at all. We all have our secrets, and besides, you're pretty good at this. You may not want to participate in any competitions but _I _do, so I plan on taking full advantage of this situation. I'll be your sparring partner from now on, whether you like it or not."

The redhead had to take a step back to balance himself when Kaoru launched herself at him and put her arms around his neck to give him a bone-crushing hug. Once he got over the initial shock, he smiled and hugged her back, relishing in her warmth and her obvious delight at his suggestion.

"You will? Really?" she breathed against his neck.

He laughed and nodded, and she pulled back to give him a smile so dazzling that he felt his heart skip a beat. A moment later though, her eyes got a bit dimmer and she looked at him searchingly. "What do _you _want out of this?"

Confused, he answered. "I just told you. I'll be your sparring partner from now on. It's pretty—"

"Yeah, but that's something that would benefit _me _more than you, and you're also keeping my secret. It's only fair that you get something in return too, you know."

"I really don't—"

"Just answer the question, Himura. What do you want?"

"Does everything have to be a bargain with you?" He chuckled, pulling her a bit closer to him.

She smiled mischievously up at him. "Just trying to be fair here, Mr. Businessman."

"Fine." He wracked his brain for something that he needed help with or wanted, and a grin crawled up his face when he finally thought of an answer to her question.

"What is it?" Kaoru asked curiously.

He grinned. "Go out with me."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I've been working on this chapter for two weeks, on and off. I knew how I wanted it to go but I didn't have much time to write it because of everything that's been going on at home. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Here's where the fun really starts.

Cheers and may you all be happy and well!


	4. Help!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

* * *

><p><strong>The Bargain<br>****Help!**

* * *

><p><em>Help me if you can, I'm feeling down<br>And I do appreciate you being 'round_

* * *

><p><strong>January<strong>

His arms were still around her and hers were around his neck as they both stared at each other, both of them scrutinizing the other's reaction to what he just said.

"Go out… with you?" she asked dubiously.

He blushed and nodded, his earlier confidence fading into something akin to embarrassment at her scrutiny. He lifted his eyes to meet hers and blushed even more at the mirth that he found in her sapphire orbs. Without much ado, he let her go when she burst out laughing so hard that tears were starting to fall down her face. She was turning red because of the effort that her laughter required and the unstoppable giggles that took her breath away.

He scoffed at her reaction and looked away, still blushing as he watched her continue to guffaw through his peripheral vision. When her giggles finally started to die down, he turned towards her emotionlessly and observed her while she tried to compose herself, her hand grabbing the strap of her training bag that fell while she was too busy laughing at him.

"Oh God." She breathed, giggling a bit more at his expense. "Oh God this is rich."

"Glad I could amuse you." Kenshin replied blankly.

Kaoru met his eyes once more and smiled giddily at his embarrassment. "Oh Red, you are so amusing."

"Apparently." He scoffed. "Mind sharing why you're obviously so eager to date me?"

"You don't want to date me." She remarked, pulling him out the door so they could make their way out the building. The night was not getting any earlier and they both had classes the next day, so she wanted to get as much sleep as she could.

"I asked you, didn't I? Or was I not clear enough for you?"

Mischievously, she looked back at him. "You _don't_ want to dateme."

"How many times do we have to go through this?"

She laughed once more and tugged on his arm more firmly, leading him down the stairs that would lead to the sports building's main door. "Come on, Red. Let's talk on the way home."

"What happened to you being able to _take care of yourself_?"

"Oh please. This is rich, Himura. I'm not trading this conversation for anything in the world. So hurry your ass up. I'm freezing and you don't want my blood on your hands if I get pneumonia or something."

He chose to not reply to her remark since he was too busy dreading the time that they'd be spending together during their drive back to Easton. He was pretty sure that Kaoru knew what he was going to say. Sometimes, that woman was just so unpredictable that she left him reeling with various emotions after their every interaction.

He locked the door right after they stepped out of the building and double-checked it to make sure that he wouldn't be blamed if any of the equipment got lost over the night. Kaoru was jogging in place to try to make herself feel warmer and they both hurried to his car where he blasted his heater on immediately so they could both ward off the chill of the winter night.

Mirth was still shining in her eyes as he pulled out of the driveway and he resolved to not open his mouth until she did, not wanting to say something stupid that might get himself into trouble. What was on his mind was dangerous enough, and he knew that he had to explain his purpose properly although by the looks of it, she knew what he wanted perfectly well already.

"You don't want to date me." She stated without a doubt.

"What makes you think that?"

She chuckled. "Well, for one, you haven't dated anyone else since Tomoe."

"Your point?" he asked with a raised brow.

"That means you still haven't gotten yourself a rebound."

"Why are—"

"Shut up. We all know that's necessary in this day and age." She pointed out. "Although," she continued. "I don't think you're a rebound type of guy, you know what I mean?"

He nodded silently, slowing his car down when he saw the red light shining at the intersection.

"And I'm not a rebound type of girl."

"I know you aren't." He replied honestly.

"So the only plausible reason behind you asking me that favor, so to speak, is because you want Tomoe back by making her jealous."

His eyes widened. "Hey, that's not—"

"Oh stop it. I know you, and I know how much you want her back. This is a silly and childish way of doing it, though. But I bet you already know that." She mused as he continued driving back to their apartment building. "You must be getting pretty desperate if you're asking me to do what you want me to do."

He grinned. "Well clearly, you don't know me well enough."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

Kenshin stayed silent for the rest of their five minute drive and parked his car flawlessly. They both remained in the vehicle for a few moments while he struggled to find a way to answer her question properly.

"I'm not going to say what you said isn't true." He started. "I still want her back."

"But?" she grunted when he just looked ahead of him. "Oh come on, Himura. You might as well tell me. You already know one of my biggest secrets—"

"_One _of your biggest secrets?"

She shrugged. "You know what you need to know; and I need to know what I need to know if you really want us to go through with this "dating" gig of yours."

"Fine." He replied, pausing once again before he shared his embarrassing admission. "The truth is… at this point I really just want to forget her, you know?" he sighed, locking his amethyst orbs with her so she could see the sincerity behind his words.

This time, it was Kaoru who paused and looked out of her window. "Forget, huh?" she whispered.

The redhead stared at her intently. "Look, I'm not telling you that you're going to be my _rebound_, because like I said earlier, we're both not the type of people who believe in rebounds; and I'm not asking you to go out with me 'cause I want to make her jealous because, again, you were right when you said that that's a completely immature and childish way of going through the post-break up process."

He gave Kaoru some time to digest what he just told her, but he got worried when her gaze seemed far off, as though she wasn't thinking of what he said at all. Her face was completely emotionless and her usually bright and lively eyes seemed empty. He steeled himself for the rejection that he was pretty sure he was going to receive, but he was surprised when she suddenly looked back at him.

"I will not be your rebound, Kenshin Himura." She stated.

"I just told you—"

She smiled. "I know what you said, but I'm not going to go out with you just because of that."

He sighed and stepped out of his car at the same time as she did, feeling dejected and unsure of himself now that he knew where he stood with her. _'Really, what the hell was I thinking? Asking her out like that." _He scolded himself mentally.

They both got in the elevator and stared at their reflections on the metal doors, although he still glanced at her from time to time to see if she was feeling as awkward as he was after all that.

Suddenly, she smiled brightly and looked up at him. "The fact still stands that I haven't repaid my end of the bargain, Red."

"You don't have to—"

"I think I have a better idea on how I can help you forget." She grinned.

"Uh… what?" he asked with confusion lacing his voice.

There was a brief 'ding' when the elevator reached her floor. "Let's talk in the morning. Call me when breakfast is ready." She instructed, before smiling up at him, her eyes bright with mischief and an emotion he couldn't decipher. "Besides, maybe you could help me forget too. Bye."

The metal doors closed once more and took him up to his floor. He removed his shoes and went through his usual evening routine, all the while thinking about the mystery that was Kaoru Kamiya.

The next morning, the first thing he did was to make himself a strong cup of coffee, forgoing the usual cream and sugar that he usually took with his caffeine. He was so tired and sleepy, which was perfectly understandable given the time that he was able to get home the night before. Once the hot drink finally kicked in, he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be meeting his sapphire-eyed friend for breakfast.

"Fuck it." He said as he ran to his bathroom to take a quick shower before dressing himself for the day. Since he didn't know what she liked to eat, he decided to prepare a basic but filling breakfast—making two plates of bacon, eggs, and a couple of pancakes in case she was extra hungry like he was. Once the table was set, he immediately picked up his phone and scanned through his contacts to call Kaoru.

"Hey." He greeted.

"_Shit, what time is it?_" She asked groggily.

He chuckled. "Seven thirty. I'm guessing you're still in bed?"

"_Yeah, damn it._" She cursed. "_Give me twenty minutes."_

Kaoru ended the call without even a goodbye as she rushed to get herself ready for the day. It was a good thing she was going up to Kenshin's apartment for her morning meal since that would mean that she wouldn't have to suffer through the long line in the café in their campus just to get a bagel and a strong cup of coffee. Her decision to shower the night before was also a blessing since that meant that she wouldn't have to wash her hair that morning—saving her even more time.

She brushed her teeth and washed her face before hastily pulling her hair up in a messy bun and grabbing a white long-sleeved blouse and a pair of black stockings from her messy closet. Given the dress code that their department required, she pulled on a thick black, long-sleeved dress on top of it all .

'_I really need to get my laundry washed soon.' _She thought as she laced up her brown boots and grabbed her cream-colored coat along with her bag and violin case before rushing out her door—making sure that it was locked and that she had her keys with her.

By the time she got to Kenshin's floor, she was breathing heavily and praying to all the gods and spirits that the red-haired man had a decent breakfast prepared for the two of them.

She knocked three times and he saw him grinning amusedly when he answered the door. Annoyed, she shoved him aside and scoffed at his laughter.

"Feeling a bit grumpy this morning, huh?" he chuckled.

"You better have coffee, Himura."

He forced himself to control his laughter before replying. "It's already on the table, my lady."

Gently, she placed her violin case on his black couch and put her bag beside it. Kaoru sat down on one of the seats around the circle dining table and wasted no time in taking a long sip of the aforementioned drink, disregarding its hot temperature as she chugged it down.

The amused redhead sat across from her more gracefully than she did, noting that she didn't look like she rushed through her morning at all. He poured them both a glass of orange juice and patiently waited for her to compose herself before speaking. With the way she was acting right now, he knew better than to open his mouth before she did. He'd never seen an angry Kaoru before and he really didn't want to see it then.

When the violinist finally got her bearings, she looked out his rather large window. Since her sanity has returned, she was finally able to notice the delicious smell of the beautiful breakfast that was placed right in front of her.

"Wow." She gasped when she saw what was on her plate.

Kenshin laughed. "What? Haven't you ever seen a plate of nutritious food at this time of the morning?"

"Oh shut up." She replied. "If _you've_ been living off of bagels and toast since freshman year, I bet you'd have the same reaction."

"Sorry, that's not possible. Unlike you, I _can _work a stove without burning down the kitchen." He said playfully.

Kaoru picked up her utensils but caught his mirth-filled gaze with her suddenly apologetic orbs. "Hey, sorry for uh—the way I came in and all." She sighed. "I'm not usually like that. It's just that—"

He raised a hand to stop her. "It's okay, I don't mind. You're _allowed _to not be a morning person, you know. It's not a crime." He smiled. "Besides, I guess I should just count myself lucky for discovering yet another side to the great Kaoru Kamiya."

"The what? What are—anyway, I just wanted to say sorry. I mean, you went through all this trouble for me and I just barged in here like an uncivilized heathen. You didn't deserve that."

"Who says this breakfast was for your benefit?" He asked with a raised brow, but he was clearly still amused so she wasn't all that troubled by it. "I seem to remember you saying something about having a great idea to help me with my… situation."

"You know, the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem." She stated before taking a bite of one of the bacon strips on her plate. "Oh god," she sighed. "This is heaven."

He chuckled. "I'm glad you approve." He also started eating his meal after seeing that she enjoyed what he had prepared for the two of them. "You're talking as though I have a drug problem, though."

"Well the thing is, I think you do. Think of it as going to a rehab… a love rehab." She said without blinking.

He laughed. "A love rehab? Seriously?"

Kaoru gave into her giggles and shook her head at her own silliness. "I know it sounds stupid, but that's sort of what you need right now, isn't it? I mean, think of Tomoe as a habit you've formed for two years. So now, you have to break the habit of thinking and being with her so much."

"So you're saying I need therapy?"

"Yes, and you need professional help." She grinned. "And you are a very lucky guy because _I _am a professional."

"Oh?" he chuckled once more. "Who said you were?"

"I did, and that's all that counts." She said proudly. "Anyway, the way I see it, you have so many memories of her in your head. Like, there are places and things and all sorts of stuff that you used to do with her, right?"

"Well we _were _in a two-year relationship. I think it's pretty impossible to not have those… stuff." He mocked playfully.

"Do you want my help or not?" she raised a brow at him. When she saw him shake his head amusedly, she continued. "So our main goal here is to do something about those memories of yours. We have to replace them."

"Replace them?"

"Yeah, think of it this way. You have an image in your head of what happened when you were, let's say, in a mall. So whenever you go to the mall, you remember her, right?" He nodded. "So what we have to do now is to make new images; sort of like replacing the image of Tomoe in your head with someone else."

"But isn't that the point of a rebound?" He asked.

"No." She replied. "'Cause with a rebound, you're basically forcing a person to fit into the image that you want; like having a puzzle with a missing piece and forcing another one that clearly won't fit into the empty space." She sipped a bit of her juice before continuing. "With my foolproof method, you _know _that your main intent is to experience something new in that place with another person. So you won't be forcing yourself or anything, which makes all the difference—and the best part is, the person you're going to be making those memories with won't expect anything from you, so it won't get complicated."

"And I'm guessing this is where _you _come in?"

"Of course." She said proudly. "I do have my end of the bargain to fulfill, and I'll have you know that I'm a rather delightful person."

"Getting a bit cocky there, aren't we?" he chortled.

She grinned. "Not really. I'm just stating facts here."

They paused to finish off their breakfast and put the used dishes in the dishwasher. Kenshin was busy drying his hands when Kaoru spoke again from where she was leaning against the doorway that led to the redhead's kitchen.

"So what do you think, Red?"

He sighed. "You know, in a way, this solution of yours is confusing… but at the same time it makes sense."

"Of course it does. I came up with it, after all." She said.

"Okay, let me get this straight." Kenshin started, trying to clarify and digest everything that Kaoru explained. "You're going to help me forget Tomoe by doing everything that Tomoe and I did when we were together with me?"

"Yes, because it's all very simple, Kenshin. You're obviously still haunted by Tomoe; at this point she's become like a demon of sorts—no, let me finish," she raised her hand when she saw him tensing up and wanting to defend his ex. "See, the thing with forgetting and getting better is that you _have _to face your demons; you've been so busy avoiding everything that reminds you of her that it makes you think about it even more." She looked at him intently. "Now, to help you, I'll be right there with you when you confront your memories, so to speak."

He wanted to ask her how she knew all this, but her eyes turned light again and he knew he wouldn't get any answers.

"To put it simply, we'll be replacing your Tomoe memories with Kaoru memories." She joked.

He chuckled and everything that she told him clicked in his head, making him smile as they both walked back into his living room to gather their things. "Okay, I get it now." He grinned at her. "The question is, just how far are you willing to go with this? You do know we did all sorts of things that couples do, right?"

"That's all up to you, really. Just do everything that you used to do with her that you want to forget with me."

"Everything?" he grinned mischievously.

She laughed. "You're not that lucky, Red. But yeah, everything; it's your call. I know you developed habits with her—even little ones, and I'm telling you now that I won't mind."

He grabbed his keys and turned off all the lights before opening the door so the two of them could leave his apartment. "So in a way, we'll be friends who happen to do things that people in relationships do?"

"If that's the way you understand it, then yeah." She shrugged.

He thought about it for a moment. She seemed pretty invested in this idea of hers and he had to admit that she really _did _make sense. He couldn't deny what she said about him avoiding all of the places that would trigger memories of his past two-year relationship, and having her there as he faced everything would be a great deal of help. He smiled and nodded. "Alright. When do we start?"

"I'm game if you are, Red." The violinist grinned.

"Well alright then. Glad to know you're all set to go with this."

"I never come into a battle unprepared, Kenshin." The elevator finally arrived at their floor and they walked in together and waited for the metal contraption to bring them to their destination. "I just have a couple of rules before we actually go through with this."

"Rules?" he asked curiously.

She nodded. "Yeah. First, don't ever ask me questions—"

"So I can't ask you what time it is?" He joked.

She smacked his stomach lightly to scold him. "Shut up, you know what I mean. And second," she said with a straight face. "don't ever take me seriously."

"Is that an unclichéd way of saying don't fall in love with you?" he chuckled.

"You are such a smartass, you know that?" she admonished.

"How do you know all of these things anyway? Have you been in a lot of relationships before? Is that why you're such a _professional_?"

"That's breaking rule number one." She pointed out. "But since I'm so kindhearted and it _is _your first mistake, I guess I won't mind answering. I have, if you must know, but I'm horrible with them so in the end, I just end up breaking them off. Save myself the hassle and all."

"Well it's a good thing we won't be in a relationship, then." He stated. "Wait, so you've never been broken up _with_? How sure are you that this will all work out in the end?"

The elevator dinged and opened at the basement parking lot. "Relationships aren't the only things that make people want to forget, Kenshin." She said softly before stepping out of the elevator and walking to her car. She was about to unlock her vehicle when the redhead's hand shot out to stop her.

"Ride with me today." He requested. When he saw her starting to protest, he shrugged and elaborated. "I'm just testing how far the _everything _you said is."

She grinned. "Alright. But we're taking my car tomorrow. I don't want you to think that I'm in this to take advantage of you or anything."

"You won't be."

"I don't care. We're trading cars every other day, okay? I still want everything to be fair."

"You're doing more than enough for me, Kaoru. The least I can do is to drive you around."

"Still. I don't care."

"Fine." He decided, "I guess in your point of view, that suggestion of yours is _fair _again."

:"You know it." She giggled.

She put her violin case on the backseat before settling herself in the car where Kenshin was already seated. He started the engine and made his way up the ramp that would lead to the usually empty street.

"You know, for someone who had no time to prepare properly, you look composed." He mused. "Except for the hair, though."

"I don't know if you're mocking me or if you're being serious about this."

"I mean it." He said sincerely. "I actually expected you to be in a pair of jeans and a shirt after talking to you over the phone earlier. You must be some sort of miracle worker."

"With what I'm about to do with you? I'd say I really am." She chuckled. "But we have this thing today in class and we have to look presentable. Showing up in a pair of jeans won't really make a good impression."

"Oh? What thing?"

She laughed. "Small talk? Really?"

"Hey, I'm trying here." He replied as he turned a corner. "At least this isn't as awkward as our first drive together. That was just painful."

"I'll agree with that. I saved us both the pain from that, though. So really, that's proof enough of how I'm such a delight."

"You keep saying that, but I have yet to see it."

"You'll see." She promised. "I have it on good authority that I'm brilliant company."

"Really? Whose?"

"Everyone's." she said confidently.

He chuckled. "And you say _I'm _full of it? Your confidence is astounding, Kaoru Kamiya."

"And yours isn't, Kenshin Himura. Really, you should realize how great of a person you are. You downplay yourself too much."

"Is that your way of saying I'm cool?"

She scrunched up her nose. "No, not cool… I'd say you're okay."

"Okay?" he laughed. "That's all I get from you? _Okay_?"

"You should be happy I said it in the first place. When Sano asked me what I think about him, I told him he was an asshole."

"Well that's what I thought of him too. The first time we met, he bumped into me and called me a shrimp."

She giggled. "Really? So what happened to make you two so close?"

"I'm not really sure." He shrugged. "I think it was when I punched him and broke his nose for slamming me into my locker. Damn retard things I'm the type of person who could be bullied."

"I bully you all the time and I don't see you trying to break _my _nose."

"Don't you remember, Miss Kamiya? I don't believe that chivalry is dead." He grinned. "I'm a gentleman, and gentlemen don't hit women."

"You're sparring with me tonight. I think that cancels out what you just said."

"You seem to be forgetting what I told you yesterday. I don't bother with all that gallantry when I have no one to impress." He glanced at her. "And I'm not even going to bother trying to impress you since I think that'll be breaking rule number two."

"Damn straight." She agreed as she reached behind her to grab her violin case and get herself ready to step out of the black vehicle since they were already near the entrance to her building. "Besides, I like you better this way."

He grinned and stopped the car in front of the music and arts building of their campus and waited for her to leave. "I'll see you later, then? What time will you be out?"

"Around six or so. You? I can walk back to Easton if you get out earlier than I do."

"No, it's alright. I'm out by five anyway so I can just wait around."

She thought about what could make his waiting easier for him since he seemed to be the type of person to insist on what he wanted to do. "Enishi and I'll just be rehearsing from four to six. If you want, you can come in and wait around there. We'll be in room 206. The one with the grand piano."

"Sure." He nodded. "Just text me when I can come up."

She nodded at him and opened the door to step out of the car when she suddenly felt Kenshin grab her left arm. He leaned into her and placed a quick peck on her cheek, blushing and nervously waiting for her reaction as he did so. It was a small and insignificant gesture, but it was something that he remembered fondly whenever he'd drop Tomoe off by her building—and Kaoru _did _say that she wouldn't mind.

Kaoru shook herself out of her shock and looked back at him with a gentle smile. "Right. Kiss before we leave the car. Got it."

He laughed and watched her close the door and throw a brief wave to signal her goodbye. The redhead waited for her to get into her building's lobby before he started moving again, all the while smiling at the thought of finally being able to move on with such a spontaneous person.

'_This'll be interesting. But let's see how this'll go.' _He thought amusedly.

* * *

><p>The violinist walked into the building in a good mood, thinking that what she'll be doing with the redhead in the following weeks would be fun. She wasn't really shy with people in terms of showing affection—not that that meant that she slept around or anything, it's just that she loved showing the people she cared about how much she appreciated their presence in her life; especially given what she had experienced before. Besides, she only did acts like that with people she trusted. What made her happy that morning was the knowledge that that trait of hers would actually be helping a friend heal from what he had experienced.<p>

She'd only known the redhead for a few months, but during that time, she'd grown fond of him and his gentle nature; that, and their witty banters were always fun for her. Now that he knew her secret love for kendo and he'd promised to help her better herself by sparring with her every now and then, she felt an even deeper connection with him since she really wanted to prove to herself that she was strong enough—and that despite her first teacher's absence, she could still show him that she could improve herself and make him proud; she might even learn a few more tricks that would make her even better than she already thought herself to be.

To be honest, she felt like she wasn't doing enough for him. He'd offered to help her so many times—which she'd accepted because sadly, she really did need the help—that she felt like what she had done for him in return couldn't even compare to the amount of effort that he'd exerted for her. At that moment, she decided that she'd do the best that she could to help him move on so she could see the side of him that was one hundred percent happy and whole.

She didn't intend to replace Tomoe in his life. She knew that the woman would always hold a piece of his heart. All she really wanted to do was to show him that despite her absence in his life, he could still be happy and not be haunted by memories of her whenever he'd do something that he used to do with his ex. Moving on was a difficult process, and she was glad that, in a way, she'd really be able to help him.

"Hey." She heard a familiar voice greet her from behind.

The violinist turned to find the blonde-haired man that she was also good friends with. "Enishi." She smiled. "How's it going?"

He scoffed. "It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since I last saw you. How do you _think _it's going?"

"You have a point." She giggled. "I was just being polite."

"Whatever." He grunted. She was used to his aloof attitude at this time of the morning because, like her, he was also not a morning person—something that she regretted showing to Kenshin earlier. Still, she always managed to get her act together before she'd come to her first class since her annoyance at having to wake up so early would be replaced by the excitement she felt at the prospect of playing her favorite instrument the whole day long—aside from a few history and theoretical lessons, plus the French class she chose to enroll herself in.

She smiled and waited for him to catch up with her so they could walk together to their first class. "I saw Himura dropping you off earlier."

"What of it?"

He looked dubiously down at her. "Since when have you two been dating?"

"We aren't." She chuckled. "We're just really good friends; and we live in the same building. We finally agreed to take one car out of the parking lot whenever we'd come to school. It makes sense since we have relatively the same schedules anyway."

"Friends. Right." He scoffed. "Are you really friends or is this building up into something?"

"Of course not. You know I don't date friends. It… complicates things."

"Yeah, but you haven't been friends with him that long yet. I don't know if he qualifies as a _good friend_."

She sighed. "We're just friends, Enishi. I mean it."

"Look," he sighed. "All I'm saying is you should be careful with him. You know he's still moping around for my sister and I don't want to get stuck in the middle of any crap from any of you. You're the only decent person in this building and I'd hate to have to chew your head off for something that shouldn't even be any of my business."

"I know that, which is why I'm telling you that we're just friends. We're just getting really close, is all." She looked up at his tired face as they were walking up the stairs that would lead to their assigned class room. "Have you gotten any coffee yet? You look horrible."

"Well ain't that the cherry on top of this very merry morning." He mocked before sighing at his crude behavior. "Sorry, cherry pie, coffee just hasn't kicked in yet."

She laughed. "Don't worry. I'm used to your obnoxious behavior at this time of the morning. After three years, I don't expect any apologies from you anymore."

"Good. 'Cause that means I won't have to apologize to you tomorrow." He grinned.

They entered the music room and waited for their other classmates—whom they barely talked to anyway since most of the students in their department felt like every day was a competition and that they all had to be better than the rest. It was a good thing that Kaoru and Enishi weren't really interested in participating in what the others were doing, and they were pretty content with just having each other to go through college with. Besides, the dynamics of their friendship was fun. He never asked too many questions, and she never complained about his crude behavior, and for the two of them, that was enough.

They sat beside each other at the back of the classroom—as they always did, and talked about random things until Enishi's mood finally improved in time for the arrival of their professor.

Versatility was the topic for the day. As music students of the most prestigious university in their country, they were all expected to be able to play at least two other instruments aside from the one that they preferred playing. It was also a requirement for them to have the ability to adapt to any genre without having any trouble. As their project for the week, they were tasked to play a piece that would involve the use of at least three instruments. The catch was that they weren't allowed to submit a recording or video of any of the classical pieces that they all know so well. By the end of the class, the students were all muttering about the difficulty of the assignment and how they would be able to accomplish it in time for its deadline on Monday the next week.

"What in the hell is that old bat thinking?" Enishi moaned once they've left the room. "Three instruments in one recording? That means we're going to have to play around with mixes and all that."

"Haven't you been paying any attention to the tech classes we have? They taught us how to do that last year, blondie."

He scoffed. "Cherry pie, it's like you don't know me at all. When was the last time you saw me actually listening to the stupid lessons?"

"The stupid lessons are what's going to allow you to graduate, you idiot." She pointed out. "How do you expect to get out of this place?"

"By cheating off of you." He smirked. "And with my unbelievable talent."

"Go ahead and brag, but if you end up staying for another three years because you've been slacking around, I won't even bother feeling sorry for you." She admonished.

"You are _such _a nerd. I don't know why I'm even friends with you. I'm too cool for the likes of your little head."

She laughed. "You're friends with me because I'm the only person who's not trying to cut your throat open with a fiddle."

"One of these days, I'm going to prove you wrong. You'll see. I'll get myself a better friend and I'm going to leave you all alone to drown in all the tension."

"I'd see that on the same day that men start raining down from the sky."

"At half past ten?" he chuckled. "I didn't know you were into that type of music, Kaoru."

"Who isn't? It's so catchy."

"Catchy and disgusting. It's horrible how people are so into music like that. The lyrics don't even make sense."

"And yet you're so familiar with them." She giggled. "Stop pretending you don't know those songs, Enishi. Even the best musicians enjoy pop songs every now and then."

The two went into their next class where Kaoru watched Enishi try to keep his eyes open in an effort to pay attention to the droning of their old professor regarding the history of the music of the romantic era. Since she was already very familiar with the topic, she spent the rest of the hour and a half thinking about what piece she would put together for the project from their previous class.

She had to admit that she wasn't really all that talented with coming up with pieces that involved more than her beloved violin. Yes, she knew how to play the piano and the guitar, and her voice wasn't really all that bad—although she preferred to not showcase that talent of hers since she didn't want to embarrass herself. However, when it came to putting all three of them together, well, let's just say that it was like she was being asked to hold her breath for two whole minutes under water. Perhaps she'd ask Misao, her most creative friend, for help on this one. She always did seem to come up with great ideas a few minutes after you've briefed her on what needed to be done.

The rest of the day passed and the two were grateful when all of their classes finally ended and they were given time to just loaf around in one of the music rooms that the building held. Usually, students were allowed to sign up for the use of one of the ten music rooms after school hours in case they needed to practice for something, but since the two were pretty well known among the professors and the department's board, they were given the most access to these rooms. To be honest, it was an unspoken rule that Room 206 was theirs to occupy once they've finished their classes—a fact that made most of the other students jealous of their influence in the department. Still, that didn't stop them from using the room since they didn't really give a damn on what the other students thought of them. Besides, they were given the right to use the room most often because they were usually assigned to perform the concluding pieces of the recitals that their department held; and they were also the two top scorers in the talent exam that they went through in order to get into the program.

"Oh god, I've been waiting for this the whole day." Enishi groaned as they entered the room, throwing his bag unceremoniously by the grand piano that was located on the left corner of the room.

The music room was wide and had wooden floors, with only a couple of windows adorning the cream-colored walls of the area. Other instruments were scattered all around the vicinity to allow students access to instruments that weren't portable. Enishi sighed when he settled himself on the leather seat in front of the piano, where he stroked the keys lovingly as though they were his greatest treasure.

"Hello, baby." He crooned.

Kaoru laughed at his behavior and brought out her own instrument, readying herself for their afternoon jam. "You're always so dramatic whenever we come here, blondie."

"You just don't understand, Kaoru… it's like… it's like when I come here, I get the other half of my empty heart back."

She struck him lightly with her fiddle and chuckled. "You're being stupid again."

Enishi chuckled and cracked his knuckles while Kaoru polished the brown surface of her violin to a sheen, making sure that it was so clean that it almost reflected her face whenever she'd look down at it.

"So, any ideas on what you're gonna do for the multi-instrument thing?" The pianist asked casually.

She sighed. "Nothing yet. I've been thinking about it the whole day, but I still have no clue on what I should do for it. We're not allowed to play the classics so that means we're going to have to prepare our own sheet music—all in the span of four days. I think they all expect us to be geniuses."

"We kind of are, you know." Enishi mused arrogantly. "Anyway, I think I'm going to go surf around the internet for ideas after we're done here. Wanna join me?"

She shook her head. "I can't. Kenshin's supposed to tutor me in French tonight."

"French, huh?" The blonde-haired man grinned mischievously.

"Not _that _French, you stupid fuck. Is that all that's in your head these days?"

He laughed. "Can't help it if women just throw themselves at me. I am but a man, and I can't deny those girls of what they obviously want. I don't want to hurt their feelings or anything."

"Yeah, right." She scoffed. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, playboy." She paused in thought for a moment before addressing the previous topic that they had. "Anyway, I think I might ask Misao for some help. Maybe she can come up with something for me."

"That's not fair." Enishi moaned. "_I _don't have friends in any other department."

"That's because you don't bother to make friends. All you do is stick your penis up someone's hole then you spend the rest of your pathetic life avoiding the girls you've slept with."

"That's crude." He admonished before grinning. "Crude, but true."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence then as they both focused on warming themselves up for whatever they'd want to play that afternoon. They took advantage of every time that they'd be given to spend in that room because it had brilliant acoustics, but mostly it was because playing music took their mind off of their other issues and gave them a bit of peace—especially after long days. In fact, there were times when they'd spend more than five hours just playing whatever piece they felt like hearing because they got so into it.

"So what do you feel like playing today?" Kaoru asked serenely. "It was my choice last time, so you get to pick."

Enishi sighed. "How about a bit of the classics? I'm game for Moonlight Sonata. Are you?"

"A bit morose for this day, but it's alright. Your cue, then."

It only took a moment before Enishi started the opening notes for the said piece, filling the room with the gentle and slow melody of the song. A minute later, Kaoru joined in with her violin, making the emotions that the music they were making was supposed to elicit more pronounced. Both musicians closed their eyes and let the sound wash over them, having memorized every note and movement given the number of times that they've already played it before.

As always, the world was drowned out when they started playing together. Nothing mattered except for the music and there was nothing that could break through the bubble that they have created for themselves. The strokes of Kaoru's violin were in perfect tune with the notes that Enishi was playing and the room echoed every sound back to them, enhancing and strengthening the barrier around them even more. When they played, they both felt magical and powerful, and there was a serenity there that no one could ever touch.

Kaoru's movements were graceful, her neck and torso going along with the strokes that her fiddle required in order to match the sounds coming from the piano that Enishi was playing. There was passion singing in both of their souls, and it was reflected by how beautifully they played Beethoven's masterpiece. This was why they were considered the best in their batch—every time they played, they never had any ulterior motives; they didn't have any desire to be considered as the top students, and they weren't doing this to impress other people. They really, truly, just enjoyed hearing the beautiful melodies because they both considered it as an escape from the world—making their pieces more powerful because of the emotion behind it.

As the song drew to a close, they both eased up and took a breath before turning to face each other with a smile. After the day that they've had, it was only then that they felt as relaxed as they could.

"So, what next?" Kaoru asked gently.

Enishi 'hmm'ed in response, thinking about what he would like to hear after the morose melody that filled the room just a moment ago. "I want something light now."

"Classic?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "I don't want to think much today. Just play." He paused. "What about our favorite? Canon in D?"

She laughed. "Of course, good sir. Good choice, I feel the same way."

"Stressed?"

"Not really. Just had a lot on my mind recently, and we haven't been able to do this for a week. I kind of missed it."

"Just this or me too? I know how much you love being with me. I always make your day shine a little brighter." He joked.

She scoffed. "I think it's the other way around, loner. You'd never be able to survive this place if it weren't for me."

"Ha! As if. Don't flatter yourself too much, woman."

"I could say the same to you." She retorted. "Anyway, let's do this. I haven't heard this in a while."

Enishi nodded and turned to face the piano once again, smiling before he pressed the opening keys to Pachelbel's masterpiece. Once again, their rhythms matched and they let the music fill them once more—needing no words to prove that the chemistry that they shared was impeccable.

They didn't even struggle in playing the piece because, like Moonlight Sonata, they've played it so many times before that their bodies played most of the song based on muscle memory. Still, the passion and fire behind the way they played was not lost and they lost themselves in their own little bubble once more.

So focused were they on enjoying themselves that they didn't even notice when a certain redhead entered the room and leaned against the closed door. Kenshin was grateful that Kaoru gave him this chance to listen to them play. She'd heard her practice before but the effect that the room provided made the sounds from the instruments that much clearer and filled him with the warmth he usually felt whenever he'd hear her violin sing.

He watched as Kaoru's hands flittered across the strings of her violin and as she moved along with her fiddle gracefully. It was at that moment that he wished he would've bothered to learn how to play an instrument if only to be given the privilege of playing with her just as Enishi was able to.

When the piece ended, he broke their bubble by clapping from where he was standing with bright and proud eyes as he watched the sapphire-eyed beauty. The two musicians were clearly startled and he felt bad for making them feel that way, knowing that he could've announced his presence in a gentler manner.

Still, what's done is done so he just went on with what he wanted to say. "That was great. Is that for a recital or something?"

Kaoru smiled at him and shook her head. "No, just playing around for fun."

"_That _was fun? It looked pretty complicated to me." He replied honestly and shrugged. "I guess it's just one of the things I wouldn't understand, huh?"

"Seems like it." Kaoru chuckled, moving closer to where he was so she could give him a brief hug and a gentle peck on his cheek. "Hi." She smiled.

"Hey." He whispered. It was a wonder how she seemed so comfortable with welcoming him with so much warmth when they'd just talked about how they were going to go about their bargain that morning. He supposed it was natural for her to do so seeing as she'd never been shy with sharing physical affection to those she was really close to.

"Is it time to go yet?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Up to you. I don't mind waiting around. My car's parked anyway." He lifted his head to lock his eyes with the green gaze of the blonde-haired man who was still sitting by the piano. "Yukishiro." He greeted.

Enishi scoffed at him and started playing random tunes on his instrument. Kaoru, perceptive as she was, noticed the tension between the two men and thought that it would be best if she put as much distance between them as possible to avoid any conflicts. She didn't want to ruin the good mood she was in.

"No, we can go. I have a lot of stuff to do anyway." Pushing herself out of Kenshin's hold, she walked back to where her violin was and placed her instrument gently onto its velvet bed and closed the case's lid. The violinist grabbed her leather bag along with the case and approached Enishi. "Sorry blondie, I have to go." She said apologetically. "I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Yeah, sure." Enishi replied with a smile, rising to give his friend a brief hug. "Remember what I told you, Kaoru. Be careful with him."

She chuckled, brushing his words off easily. "I will, I will." She gave him one last smile before walking away from him, throwing a brief "Bye" behind her as she made her way back towards where Kenshin was standing.

The redhead took her violin case from her despite her refusal, but she let him do what he wanted in the end, thinking about the bargain that they struck that morning. They left the room and stayed silent as they went down the building and into the parking lot where his black vehicle was parked.

"So what's up with you and Enishi?" she asked casually when they both settled into their seats.

He shrugged. "I don't know. We used to be fine before, but I guess it's to be expected given that I _did _date his sister."

"I see your point." She chuckled. "So, do you have time to help me with French tonight?"

The redhead grinned at her. "French already? We haven't even gone through the basics, if you know what I mean."

She scoffed. "Men. You're all the same."

"Anyway, yeah. You can come up whenever you want. I have a few papers to finish, but I won't mind answering your questions if you have trouble with anything." He said. "And bring your gym bag. We're going to the dojo tonight."

* * *

><p>"Great." She smiled brightly. Really, her day couldn't have gone any better, and for that, she was thankful.<p>

"Misao, I'm telling you, you really don't have to take this too seriously." Kaoru begged out of her friend who was currently working her ass off on the video that they prepared for her project.

The advertising major scoffed. "You think I'm going to do something half-assed? I _never _submit anything without making it look perfect."

"It doesn't even have to be a video! I told you a recording would be good enough. And you've already done so much with helping me with this and—"

"Oh just shut up and let me do my work, Kamiya."

Kenshin chuckled from where he was sitting on the driver's seat and started moving again once the stoplight turned green. There was a bit of a scuffle from where Misao was sitting since she was jolted by the sudden movement, making her laptop almost fall from where it was seated on her lap.

"Damn it, Himura! Are you _trying _to kill us all?"

He glanced at her angry face through the rearview mirror and smiled. "Nobody told you to edit a video in a moving vehicle, Misao. In fact, I told you _not _to do it."

"Yeah well someone's deadline is tomorrow and I don't have much time to finish this, do I?" she grunted.

Kaoru sighed. "Misao—"

"Shut up. Both of you. Just shut up."

The redhead chuckled again while Kaoru sighed and looked out of the window from the passenger's seat of the black car. She was very thankful for Misao for helping her arrange the piece she'd be submitting the next day. To be honest, she didn't think she was going to be able to pull it off since it seemed impossible at first, but her friend helped her get the main tunes of the different songs that they made a medley out of and translated all of the chords and notes to fit the three instruments that she used for the mash-up.

It only took Misao an hour to come up with an idea that was based mostly out of her current obsession with the recently popular EDM genre—which is why she thought it would be impossible for them to arrange something out of all of the songs that she chose to sound good on a guitar, piano, and of course, violin. Still, they spent an entire night working on the sheet music alone so they could start recording the piece the next day. When Kaoru finally thought that she'd get a good night's rest come Saturday, the energetic girl burst into her apartment, yelling about a brilliant idea she had about making a video out of everything. She dragged Kaoru out of her room and immediately started talking her through what she had planned and how their day was going to go.

The sapphire-eyed woman was very lucky that Kenshin took pity on her and invited the two girls out to dinner to take a break after seeing how hard they were working the night before when he dropped by her apartment. Since Kaoru's part was over, all she really had to do now was to wait for Misao to finish putting the video together, but she still didn't want to leave her friend alone to work on _her _project since she already felt guilty enough for asking for help in the first place.

In all fairness though, the outcome of their brainstorming sounded really good. Their main inspiration was a DJ called Zedd, and it was his songs that they used for the medley—namely, Find You, Spectrum, Clarity, and Stay the Night. When they asked their other friends to listen to it, all of them were pleased and asked for copies of the recording—though Kaoru still wasn't sure if they were just being polite or if they really liked it. Still, she appreciated their support and besides, there wasn't any time to turn back now since her deadline was on the next day already.

Kenshin pulled over when they reached an Italian restaurant about thirty minutes away from their campus, and the three of them rushed to reach the entrance with their coats tightly covering their bodies. Misao had to carry the extra effort of hugging her laptop tightly to her chest so it wouldn't get damaged by the falling snow.

Once they were in the warm establishment, the redhead helped Kaoru out of her coat as Misao grumbled about how Kenshin at least made the right choice on the restaurant they'd be dining in that night. It was relatively quiet there and the tables were quite wide, giving her enough room to place her laptop on the table and continue with her work.

"Misao—" Kaoru started gently.

"If you're going to start blabbering on about how I don't have to put in so much effort into this, Kamiya, I swear I'm going to crush your fingers so you wouldn't be able to play with that violin of yours ever again." Misao threatened.

The violinist chuckled. "Actually, I was going to ask what you wanted for dinner. The least I could do is pay for your meal since you're already doing so much for me."

"Oh, great." Misao said without even looking up from her laptop. "I'll have a plate of carbonara, then. And a glass of wine wouldn't hurt."

"Okay." Kaoru smiled.

"You know, for someone so tiny, she could be really scary at times." Kenshin whispered to the woman beside him.

She laughed. "I'm used to it. But trust me, you haven't seen her worst side yet. And I'm telling you now that you won't ever want to see it."

"I don't think anybody would disagree with you on that." He replied. He waved the waiter over to their table and dictated the dishes they'd all be having for the night, along with three glasses of wine to make them feel warmer.

"Just how complicated is this project of yours?" Kenshin asked.

She sighed. "It's… hard. I mean, we're all so used to translating songs to fit our mastered instrument, but to make something that would fit three instruments at once by ourselves is complicated." She paused when she saw that he couldn't really comprehend what she was saying. "I know students from the more serious majors don't think too highly of us because we're all so based on art, and having a degree on anything related to the arts doesn't really mean that we'll have a stable job or anything." She motioned for him to not interrupt her when she saw that he was about to deny her statement. "That's why almost everyone in our department considers everyone else as competition. So aside from having to deal with difficult subjects and projects, you can't expect anyone else to help you out since you can't let them find your weakness."

"Not everyone thinks that way, you know." He mused. "But I guess the other students who don't know anyone from your side of the school don't understand what you all do exactly. Honestly when I first came here, I thought all that you guys did over there was have fun and play around all day."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too far off from what I've heard from people so far." She chuckled.

"What made you go into that program anyway?"

Instead of answering his question, she smirked. "Are you forgetting rule number one already, Red?"

He laughed. "Ah. Sorry, it seemed to have slipped my mind. I forgot about all the skeletons you're hiding in your closet."

Their food arrived then and the trio arranged their plates to accommodate the space that Misao needed to continue working on the video she was editing. The wine that came along with their food was a perfect match for their plates of pasta and despite the advertising major's complete focus on what she was doing, the other two saw that she was pleased with what she was having for dinner.

"So, am I allowed to ask you how you seem to be so close to Enishi if all the students in your batch are so against each other?" The redhead asked. "Or is that against rule number one as well?"

Kaoru smiled. "No, it's a safe question." She paused to think for a while as she took a bite of her pasta and a quick sip of wine to wash it down. "I guess it's 'cause we're the only two people who don't really care about status." She chuckled. "When I first met him, he snubbed me completely 'cause he said he thought I was another one of the stuck up prudes that are all over our building. It wasn't until we first got assigned to play with each other that we got to talk. We had a week to prepare, but we both ended up cramming everything the night before."

"And yet you two were still brilliant." Kenshin commented.

"Brilliant's too big a word, I think." She blushed. "We just run on the same wavelength, and as our professors always say, we have great chemistry since we're both so comfortable with each other. So it wasn't long before we became good friends."

For a while, only the faint clicks coming from Misao's laptop could be heard as they enjoyed their restaurant had a great ambiance, and Kaoru really appreciated their choice of music. She smiled when she heard a couple of her favorite Italian songs play on the speakers and she even hummed along with the melody when her favorite parts would be sung by the talented artists.

Kenshin, on the other hand, was busy thinking about how well the past week went for them. At first, he was very wary of how it would all go given that it was such an unusual approach to his situation, but as he got to spend more and more time with the sapphire-eyed violinist, he found that it was impossible to feel awkward around her because of her dimpled smiles and her warm and welcoming attitude. Plus, their midnight spars were something that he greatly enjoyed since he got to learn more tricks, and the woman beside him greatly challenged his skill and endurance. He really didn't know why she was keeping her affinity for the sport a big secret since she was obviously so good at it, but as per the first rule of their bargain, he wasn't allowed to ask such a question. Besides, he had already tried asking her on the night that he discovered her secret and he didn't get anywhere.

Misao's sigh broke their silence, and the couple in front of her watched the tired woman close her eyes and rest her tired face on her hands. "Finally. I'm done."

Kaoru smiled brightly at her and stood up to give her friend a tight hug to show her appreciation. "Thank you so much, Misao. I really appreciate this."

"It was no big deal." The petite woman replied. "Besides, it was fun and super challenging. I don't think I've ever pulled something like this off before."

"Me neither." The violinist chuckled.

"So can we see your masterpiece, then?" Kenshin interrupted lightly.

"It's still rendering. It'll be ready in about half an hour. In the meantime," Misao said pointedly. "I would greatly appreciate another glass of wine care of our little musician here."

"No problem at all, love." Kaoru chuckled. They gestured for the waiter to bring them another round of drinks and patiently waited for their glasses to be replenished. Her brows scrunched when she had a sudden thought. "Where are the others? I would've thought we'd all be hanging out since it's a Sunday. I know Aoshi's studying for his exams next week. But I haven't heard from Sano and Megumi since Thursday."

Kenshin shrugged. "Sano's busy trying to get his next flavor of the month and, Megumi drove back down south to see her family."

"What else can we expect from that giant of a man?" Misao scoffed. "Does he even study anymore? Or do you just let him cheat off of you?"

"Hey, call Sano what you may, but he's not a cheater—surprisingly. That man just has a knack for business. Probably 'cause of all the gambling he's been doing." The redhead answered.

Their drinks arrived and the three of them took a few moments to take sips of the delicious red wine. It was a good thing that most of the members of their little group had the same tastes, so they didn't argue much when it came to deciding where to eat or what to do.

"We're taking my car tomorrow, right?" Kaoru asked the man sitting beside her.

"I still really wish you'd just let me do all the driving. It makes me feel weird whenever you'd drop me off and pick me up."

"Oh please. Don't get all macho on me, Red. I might just have to hit you." She admonished. "What time's your first class anyway?"

"It isn't 'til 10, so we don't have to wake up too early for breakfast. Speaking of, what do you want for tomorrow? Any preferences?"

She shrugged. "Whatever you feel like eating. I'm not a picky person."

"I should think so, since you can't cook at all." He chuckled softly, making sure that Misao wouldn't be able to hear what he said since he remembered her asking him not to tell their other friends about her inability to make something edible.

Kaoru elbowed him on his chest and he choked on his wine a bit both from the sudden contact and his struggle to control his laughter when he saw her blush.

"My first class is at 12." The blue-eyed woman said, changing the topic to a safer one so she could stop the redhead from mocking her any further.

"I don't mind taking my car. It'd be easier for the two of us that way."

She shook her head. "No, you've had to wait around for me a lot of times this week, so I don't mind going to school a bit earlier than usual. Besides, it'll give me time to warm up for the day. I don't think any other students would be using 206 at around that time."

"No one uses 206 aside from you and Yukishiro." Kenshin reminded her. "It's because you two are the star students."

"Shut up, that's not true." Kaoru blushed again. "We just—"

The sound of Misao's hand hitting the table made the two stop their conversation, both of them surprised at the sudden noise that came from their petite friend. "Oh for the _love of god_," she groaned. "Can you two just go out already? Seeing you like this is pathetic. You're already flirting around, so just admit that you like each other so we can all get this over and done with."

"Misao," Kenshin started. "You know the two of us are just really—"

"Good friends, yeah, whatever." She scoffed. "With the way you two are acting, you seem to be getting somewhere else. So can you all just give us some peace of mind and speed the process up a little?"

"I don't know how many times we're going to have to go over this, love." Kaoru said patiently.

"We're going to go over this until the two of you start telling us the truth. Seriously, it's not like we'll mind anyway. We just want you to fucking admit it already."

The sudden gust of wind that went through the restaurant due to the opening of the entrance door made Kenshin look up to see who else would brave the weather to have a good plate of Italian food. He immediately regretted his decision when he saw a very familiar face looking back at him with surprise evident on her face.

'_She just seems to be _everywhere_.' _The redhead thought.

Tomoe was with Enishi, and it wasn't long before her brother noticed what caught his sister's attention. A scowl immediately crawled up his face, especially when he saw that the redhead was sitting beside his friend. The siblings were led by a waiter to a table somewhere behind where the trio were sitting, which would mean that they would pass by their table.

"Enishi!" Kaoru greeted brightly.

"Hey, cherry pie." The blonde-haired man replied warmly before throwing a scowl towards the redhead once more. "How's it going?"

"Misao just finished with my video. So I'm all set for tomorrow. You?"

"I conned Seta into fixing mine. I played around with Coldplay. What did you do?" He asked curiously.

"Zedd." She answered with a smirk.

Enishi groaned. "It figures you'd do something cooler than mine. I really hate you sometimes, you know?"

"You love me and you know it." She laughed.

Tomoe's soft voice broke the musicians' conversation when she greeted her ex with a gentle "Hey."

Kenshin gave her a soft smile in return. "Hi. Catching a late dinner?"

"Yeah. This idiot," she gestured towards her brother. "forgot to eat again and since I'm older, I have to make sure he won't die of malnutrition or anything."

All of them chuckled which seemed to cue an awkward silence to wash over them since none of them knew what to say next. After a few moments of just standing there, Enishi finally got fed up with their tense silence. "Well, this was awkward enough, and I'm starving, so I guess I'll see you tomorrow Kaoru." He smiled warmly down at her. "See you around, Makimachi."

"You too. Cheers." Misao said cheerily.

Everyone noticed how Enishi refused to acknowledge Kenshin's presence, which made them all wonder about why the pianist was acting so hostile towards the redhead when his sister was trying to be civil with him.

Tomoe bid them all a gentle goodbye and followed after Enishi to get settled on their table, and that was when Kenshin's mood darkened a little when he was reminded of the Sunday dinners that he used to share with the aspiring doctor.

A warm hand covered his from under the table and he turned to look at Kaoru curiously as a form of asking why she was holding his hand.

She smiled gently at him. "We're in this together, remember?"

He smiled at her reply and intertwined his fingers with hers, using her warmth to keep his supposed demons at bay.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Well, there we go. I don't know if you guys thought that things started moving too fast after Kaoru and Kenshin's bargain was struck, but I just want to reiterate that Kaoru's the type of person who isn't shy about showing her appreciation for her close friends physically. So the innocent pecks on the cheek and other gestures of support she keeps on giving Kenshin aren't really new to her. It's actually Kenshin who's a bit surprised at the way she's acting towards him—I hope I was able to make that clear.

If anyone's curious about the Zedd medley that I described in this chapter, please check out Daniel Jang's Zedd Medley on YouTube! He's a brilliant artist and I loved what he did with this.

Feedback is always appreciated! I'd love to hear what you all thought of this chapter. If you have any questions, go ahead and ask and I'll try to answer or address them all in the next chapter.

Also, I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter I posted! I loved everything! Thank you and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

Cheers! Sukhi hotu!


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